As I understand it, their mitochondrial DNA does not survive, so they were always the fathers of any hybrids that contributed to the modern human genome.
" recent Science study found evidence that couplings followed a distinct pattern: Neanderthal males with modern human females."
" recent Science study found evidence that couplings followed a distinct pattern: Neanderthal males with modern human females."
The article links to this:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/science/human-evolution-n...
https://archive.ph/9mQKV