Neanderthals may have trekked through the Saudi Arabian desert 55,000 years ago, farther south than experts thought possible

Mountain emerging from orange barren desert.

Neanderthals may have trekked deep into the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula around 55,000 years ago, a new study of stone tools suggests.

The research, published online Aug. 12 in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, hints that Neanderthals may have lived farther south than scientists thought, though more evidence is needed to confirm that conclusion.