DNA sampling from "Homo neanderthalensis" bones indicates that their "FOXP2" gene is a little different though largely similar to those of "Homo sapiens" (i.e. humans). Previous genetic analysis had suggested that the "H. sapiens" FOXP2 gene became fixed in the population around 125,000 years ago. Some researchers consider the Neanderthal findings to indicate that the gene instead swept through the population over 260,000 years ago, before our most recent common ancestor with the Neanderthals. Other researchers offer alternative explanations for how the "H. sapiens" version would have appeared in Neanderthals living 43,000 years ago.