Old finds often still hold significant scientific potential. In the case of the finds excavated in the 1930s at the Ilsenhöhle near Ranis (Thuringia), which are kept by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt, genetic research is now providing new insights. An international team of researchers has succeeded in decoding the oldest genomes of modern humans to date. They come from seven individuals who lived in Ranis and Zlatý kůň (Czech Republic) 42,000-49,000 years ago. The study limits the period of interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals to around 45,000-49,000 years BP – much later than previously assumed.