There was a program on Neanderthals on UK TV last night. They said we got some genes from Neanderthals including one that improved our ability to speak (Neanderthals would have needed speech more with their different hunting techniqes).
If this is true how did the gene get to Sub saharan Africa as humans were supposed to be moving out of Africa.

I can't answer your question. However, I find this subject very interesting. I'll be awaiting a post by someone more knowledgeable. :-)

Fascinating subject, have visited Neanderthal and its Museum in Germany, with its claim to fame of having Neanderthal 1, the first specimen of Homo neanderthalensis to be found.

http://www.neanderthal.de/ has info in English.

I'm afraid I have no answer to your question either, tn, but that museum looks fantastic, Steve - once I found the button for English and was able to search the entire site. This was uncanny, because I just saw a documentary on Heinrich Wendel's photography of all the cave drawings not more than 6 weeks ago, and I saw there is an entire collection of his in the museum. How neat it would be to take kids there, and adults too of course, and do the workshops! There is nothing that can beat the hands on approach to learning, in my opinion.