Neanderthal genes seem to have hung around long after Neanderthals themselves did, as new scientific dating of the famed Lapedo Child remains shows that remains of a child with both human and Neanderthal features was from tens of thousands of years after when the latter went extinct.

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 approach to radiocarbon dating could soon be applied to other Paleolithic human sites, improving our understanding of the timing of ancient populations' movements and interactions.