It's widely known that modern Europeans and Asians carry traces of Neanderthal DNA and now scientists have pinpointed when we last shared a common ancestor

According to analysis of Neanderthal and modern human Y chromosomes, which contain the genes that make men male, the two species split 588,000 years ago.

They also showed our modern Y chromosome was not inherited from our ancient cousins, suggesting men today cannot blame their Neanderthal behaviour on their genes.

Scientists have pinpointed when we and our ancient cousins, the Neanderthals last shared a common ancestor - 588,000 years ago. They examined the Neanderthal Y chromosome from a Neanderthal male found in El Sidrón in Spain, to come up with the date

Previous estimates of when our last common ancestor lived have been based on mitochondrial DNA and put the divergence of the two lineages at between 400,000 and 800,000 years ago.

The Y chromosome was the main component remaining to be analysed from the Neanderthal genome.

Researchers from Stanford University and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany analysed this data using the remains of a Neanderthal male found in El Sidrón in Spain.

The Y chromosome is one of two human sex chromosomes.

Unlike the X chromosome, the Y chromosome is passed exclusively from father to son.

Researchers from Stanford University and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany say the Y chromosome (pictured right, next to an X chromosome) - which contains the genes that make men male - was the main component remaining to be analysed from the Neanderthal genome

Experts were surprised to find that unlike other forms of DNA, the Neanderthal Y chromosome DNA was apparently not passed to modern humans during a time of interbreeding. A Neanderthal is illustrated. One explanation why this particular segment hasn't lived on is that it was simply lost over time. However, it is also possible the Neanderthal Y chromosome contained genes that made it incompatible with human DNA

THE COMPLEX EVOLUTION OF MAN 55 million years ago - First primates evolve 15 million years ago - Hominidae (great apes) evolve from the ancestors of the gibbon 8 million years ago - First gorillas evolve. Later, chimp and human lineages diverge 5.5 million years ago - Ardipithecus, early 'proto-human' shares traits with chimps and gorillas 4 million years ago - Australopithecines appeared. They had brains no larger than a chimpanzee's 2.8 million years ago - LD 350-1 appeared and may be the first of the Homo family 2.7 million years ago - Paranthropus, lived in woods and had massive jaws for chewing 2.3 million years ago - Homo habalis first thought to have appeared in Africa 1.85 million years ago - First 'modern' hand emerges 1.8 million years ago - Homo ergaster begins to appear in fossil record 1.6 million years ago - Hand axes become the first major technological innovation 800,000 years ago - Early humans control fire and create hearths. Brain size increases 760,000 years ago - New DNA analysis shows the first Neanderthals emerging 400,000 years ago - Neanderthals begin to spread across Europe and Asia 200,000 years ago - Homo sapiens - modern humans - appear in Africa 590,000 years ago - Last common ancestor of humans and Neanderthals 40,0000 years ago - Modern humans reach Europe Advertisement

The human lineage diverged from other apes over several million years, ending as late as 4 million years ago.

After the final split from other apes, the human lineage branched into a series of different types of humans, including separate lineages for Neanderthals and what are now modern humans.

Using the Y chromosome analysis, the scientists have now pinpointed when we last shared a common ancestor.

Sequencing the Neanderthal Y chromosome may also shed further light on the relationship between humans and Neanderthals.

As well as defining the date for our common ancestor, the experts found the Y chromosome they sequenced is different to any Y chromosome observed in modern humans, suggesting the genes disappeared from the human genome long ago.

This means modern men may not be quite the Neanderthals they sometimes appear.

Other studies have uncovered a legacy of breeding between modern humans and Neanderthals 50,000 years ago, so the experts were surprised to find that, unlike other forms of DNA, the Neanderthal Y chromosome DNA was apparently not passed to modern humans during this time.

'We've never observed the Neanderthal Y chromosome DNA in any human sample ever tested,' said Carlos Bustamante professor of biomedical data science and of genetics at Stanford said. '

'That doesn't prove it's totally extinct, but it likely is.'

Why the Y chromosome genes were not passed on isn't clear, however.

Fernando Mendez, a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford explained one explanation why this particular segment hasn't lived on is that it was simply lost over time.

However, it is also possible the Neanderthal Y chromosome contained genes that made it incompatible with human DNA.

For example, Dr Mendez said a woman's immune system might attack a male foetus carrying Neanderthal 'H-Y' genes, which resemble antigens that transplant surgeons check to make sure organ donors and recipients have similar immune profiles.

Last year, geneticists sequenced DNA from the fossilised remains (pictured) of early humans discovered in a cave in the Atapuerca Mountains in Spain. The 430,000-year-old-bones were found to belong to an early Neanderthal and the analysis suggests the species may be up to 765,000 years old - twice as old as thought

GENES FROM NEANDERTHALS MAY BE TO BLAME FOR MODERN DISEASES Neanderthals and modern humans are thought to have co-existed for thousands of years and interbred. These 'legacy' genes have been linked to an increased risk from cancer and diabetes by recent studies looking at our evolutionary history. However, it is not all bad news, as other genes we inherited from our species' early life could have improved our immunity to diseases which were common at the time, helping humans to survive. Speaking to MailOnline, professor Chris Stringer, research leader in human origins at the Natural History Museum in London, said: 'We got a quick fix to our own immune system by breeding with Neanderthals which helped us to survive. 'Studies have also already been published which show that humans outside of Africa are more vulnerable to Type 2 diabetes, and that is because we bred with Neanderthals, while those who stayed inside Africa didn't.' Last year researchers from Oxford and Plymouth universities announced that genes thought to be risk factors in cancer had been discovered in the Neanderthal genome, and in January Nature magazine published a paper from Harvard Medical School suggesting that a gene which can cause diabetes in Latin Americans came from Neanderthals. Advertisement

The presence of the H-Y genes would have led to baby boys that were part-human, part-Neanderthal having a higher chance of being miscarried.

This would ultimately caused the male Neanderthal genes to gradually disappear, according to the study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

The researchers speculate that incompatibilities at one or more of these genes might have played a role in driving ancient humans and Neanderthals apart by discouraging interbreeding between them.

Dr Bustamante explained: 'The functional nature of the mutations we found suggests to us that Neanderthal Y chromosome sequences may have played a role in barriers to gene flow, but we need to do experiments to demonstrate this and are working to plan these now.'