In 1998, archaeologists discovered the skeletal remains of a child in Portugal’s Lapedo Valley. When the team took a closer look at the ochre-stained bones, they were surprised to find that the “Lapedo child” had a mix of both Neanderthal and human features.

Learn about the Lapedo child, an ancient human with Neanderthal features who was buried at a rock shelter in Portugal between 27,780 years and 28,550 years ago.

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have dated the skeleton of an ancient child that caused a stir when it was first discovered because it carries features from both humans and Neanderthals.

Advanced radiocarbon dating has provided the most accurate age assessment yet for the “Lapedo Child,” one of the most provocative prehistoric human skeletons ever discovered. But the results of this study published March 7 in the journal Science Advances aren’t likely to settle an ongoing debate in the paleoarcheological community.

The new date for the child is consistent with original estimates for the age of the burial, but it has changed our interpretation of the burial events themselves,' said lead author Bethan Linscott.

Scientists have dated the skeleton of an ancient child that caused a stir when it was first discovered to between 27,700 and 28,600 years ago

Incredibly, 28,000 years later, the burial would prove that our ancestors hooked up with Neanderthals.

In 1998, the Lapedo Child rose to fame as it astonishingly carried human and Neanderthal genes. Twenty-seven years later, scientists finally dated the special child, highlighting how far the technology has come in recent years.