At the Shanidar caveAn archaeological site on Bradost Mountain in Iraq. Scientists investigating Neanderthal bones there were followed by a camera crew on a BBC and Netflix documentary, Secrets of the Neanderthals. in northern IraqA country in the Middle East with a population of 43.5m. , scientists found bones of ancient people.

But they were not homo sapiensThe species to which all modern humans belong. Homo sapiens means "wise man" in Latin. like us. They were NeanderthalsAn extinct hominid species that lived alongside Homo sapiens until around 40,000 years ago. Their ancestry began in Africa, like ours, but neanderthals migrated to Europe and Asia long before humans. They looked like us but were shorter and stockier with angled cheekbones, prominent brows and wide noses. . And they are helping to change how we think about our long-dead cousins.

In the past, scientists made drawings and models of Neanderthals that look violent and dangerous.

But now we know that Neanderthals painted cave walls and may even buried their dead, just like we do.

So when the scientists working at the Shanidar site tried to build the face of a Neanderthal woman, they gave her a kind face.

But as other scientists point out, we do not know that this is realistic either!

So reconstructing the Neanderthals like this is really a question of how we want to see them.

But then some think this is what we do all the time anyway. We interpretExplain or decide on the meaning of something. people's faces to fit our view of them.

The problem is that we can never be sure we are reading other people's faces correctly.

Do faces always lie?

Yes! There is no way of knowing what is behind another person's eyes. The human world can be a strange place, so we tell ourselves what we need to hear to feel safe.

No! Humanity's greatest gift is being able to communicateShare or exchange information and ideas. with each other. A huge part of this is reading other people's faces to tell if they are happy, sad or worried. And we are very good at it.

Shanidar cave - An archaeological site on Bradost Mountain in Iraq. Scientists investigating Neanderthal bones there were followed by a camera crew on a BBC and Netflix documentary, Secrets of the Neanderthals.

Iraq - A country in the Middle East with a population of 43.5m.

Homo sapiens - The species to which all modern humans belong. Homo sapiens means "wise man" in Latin.

Neanderthals - An extinct hominid species that lived alongside Homo sapiens until around 40,000 years ago. Their ancestry began in Africa, like ours, but neanderthals migrated to Europe and Asia long before humans. They looked like us but were shorter and stockier with angled cheekbones, prominent brows and wide noses.

Interpret - Explain or decide on the meaning of something.

Communicate - Share or exchange information and ideas.