Neanderthals gave civilization cave drawings and stalagmite buildings. They also gave civilisation HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical and oral cancers (and genital warts), according to a new study.

Researches traced HPV back to when Neanderthals split from homo sapiens, forming two separate species with two separate strains of HPV, according to Popular Science. Neanderthals posted up in Western Europe; the humans in Africa. When humans did migrate north, they left their version of HPV behind. But somewhere along the line, humans and Neanderthals met and had cross-species sex, and the Neanderthal HPV strain—the strain responsible for most related cancers—got into human genes.

To trace the virus' evolution, the researchers constructed an STI timeline of genetic mutations up until today. Now, 79 million Americans have some sort of HPV infection, making it the most common sexually transmitted virus. Isn't history cool?

From: Esquire US