Neanderthals: Our Closest Extinct Relatives, Not Apes

Apes are indeed closely related to humans, sharing a common ancestor, but they are not the closest animal to humans. That distinction belongs to modern humans' extinct relatives, the Neanderthals, with whom we share approximately 99.7% of our DNA. Neanderthals lived until about 40,000 years ago, when they became extinct for reasons that are still under debate.