Their search targeted remnants of three types of DNA viruses: adenovirus, herpesvirus, and papillomavirus. Astonishingly, traces of all three viruses were found, marking them as the oldest human viruses ever discovered, surpassing even those previously identified in 31,600-year-old Homo sapiens remains.

This discovery suggests that Neanderthals may have been afflicted with the same viruses that affect modern humans today.