We are the same species as Neanderthals

Neanderthals were Homo sapiens, because there are living Homo sapiens with Neanderthals DNA . That could not happen unless Homo sapiens and Neanderthals mated and produced fertile offspring. That is the definition of being the same species . Maybe subspecies/races . Homo sapiens sapiens and Homo sapiens Neanderthals This is a long debate in anthropology. When I was an undergrad major , there was speculation that they were Homo sapiens because their average brain size is bigger than the other Homo sapiens, and of course brains are the critical differentiating characteristic of humans ; differentiating from all other animals as giving us the ability to communicate by symbols , language and culture. Now with the genetic evidence it is confirmed that Neanderthals are Homo sapiens The Neanderthals were not more civilized than the other foragers / hunters and gatherers . They early buriers of the dead . Yes there was interbreeding , which means they were all the same species . Can’t interbreed if you aren’t the same species . That’s an important fact : same _species_ . In my opinion , Neanderthals -homo sapiens were absorbed ( NOT wiped out ) by Homo sapiens expanding ( not invading ) out of Africa . The “African” -Homo sapiens mated at higher rates , and so when they started to mate with Neanderthals-homo sapiens , overtime there was increasingly more African genetic heritage than Neanderthals in generations going forward . There is no war at this time . Both Neanderthals and “Africans “ derive from Homo erectus , the first human species to expand out of Africa https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/homo-erectus-our-ancient-ancestor.html . https://www.the-scientist.com/features/neanderthal-dna-in-modern-human-genomes-is-not-silent-66299 https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/the-first-migrations-out-of-africa/ EXPANDED ! not migrate in the sense of leaving Africa vacant ! The whole human species population total was growing passing the ultimate Darwinian fitness test more than the other primates , mammals , vertebrates in Africa . http://take10charles.blogspot.com/2022/03/neanderthals-were-homo-sapiens.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269577-neanderthal-ears-were-tuned-to-hear-speech-just-like-modern-humans/?fbclid=IwAR2UbWUqEh0ADXEAm5U8su7-MnCVNkdXljXrHMF6-dUmRXMiwYJx01Dl0CA And they had other forms of symbolic communication besides articulate speech : clicking , music ( drums , flutes) , singing, dancing , sign language , drawing . Don’t forget , Homo sapiens Neanderthalis had bigger brains than we homo sapiens sapiens . .