🔗 Share this article Neanderthals and Modern Humans Were Likely Engaging in Intimate Contact, Researchers Propose From Galápagos albatrosses to polar bears, chimpanzees to great apes, various animals engage in mouth-to-mouth contact. Now, scientists suggest that Neanderthals did it too – and might even have exchanged kisses with early Homo sapiens. Shared Oral Evidence It is not the first time experts have suggested Neanderthals and Homo sapiens were closely connected. In previous studies, researchers have discovered modern people and their thick-browed cousins shared the identical oral bacteria for millions of years after the two species split, implying they exchanged oral fluids. "Likely they were kissing," the researcher noted, adding that the idea chimed with studies that has found humans of certain genetic backgrounds have bits of Neanderthal DNA in their genome, demonstrating interbreeding was at play. Romantic Spin "This offers a different spin on ancient interactions," the lead researcher said. Publishing in the journal a scientific periodical, Brindle and her team report how, to explore the historical roots of intimate contact, they first had to develop a description that was not restricted by how people smooch. Defining Intimate Contact "Previously there were some efforts to define a intimate act, but it's very much been focused on humans, which means that basically other animals don't kiss. Currently we understand that they probably do, it may appear different from what human kissing resembles," said Brindle. However, she noted some actions that resembled intimate contact were distinct activities – such as the chewing and transfer of food, or "kiss-fighting", observed in fish called French grunts. Consequently the research group came up with a definition of kissing based on friendly interactions involving directed mouth-to-mouth contact with a member of the identical group, with some movement of the oral area but no transfer of food. Study Approach Brindle said they concentrated on accounts of kissing in primates from Africa and Asia, including bonobos, chimpanzees and great apes, and employed online videos to confirm the observations. The researchers then integrated this information with information on the evolutionary relationships between extant and ancient types of such primates. Evolutionary Timeline The team say the findings indicate intimate contact evolved approximately 21.5m and 16.9 million years ago in the predecessors of the great primates. Placement of ancient hominins on this evolutionary lineage suggests it is likely they, too, indulged in a kiss, the researchers say. But the activity may not have been confined to their own species. "Reality that humans engage intimately, the reality that we now have demonstrated that ancient relatives very likely kissed, indicates that the two [species] are probably did kissed," the researcher added. Biological Importance While the scientific reasoning is debated, Brindle explained intimate contact could be used in sexual contexts to possibly enhance reproductive success or assist in selecting between partners, while it might help strengthen connections when used in a non-sexual manner. A separate researcher in the behavior of primates commented that as kissing behavior was seen in a wide range of apes it was logical its origins lie deep in our ancient history, and an analysis of various types of kissing among a wider variety of animals might push its origins back further still. "Behaviors that we think of as signatures of human life, like kissing, are not exclusive to us if we look closely at other animals," he said. Cultural Elements Another professor explained that intimate contact had a social component as it was not universal to all human groups. "Nonetheless, as people we thrive or fail on the quality of our relationships, and ways of encouraging trust and intimacy will have been important for eons," the professor stated. "It might be an image that seems a bit incongruous to our misplaced ideas of a rather ruthless and aggressive past, but actually it ought to be no surprise that Neanderthals – and even them and our human ancestors collectively – engaged intimately."