The source cited in the original post said that the artist's new conceptions of Neanderthal anatomy were based on known primate anatomy . . .
Which large primates have eyes with red sclera and with cat's-eye pupils like his artist's conceptions of Neanderthal eyes?
And . . . just how far can Neanderthal anatomy deviate from Homo Sapiens anatomy before the offspring of such a mating become either impossible or sterile? It seems that if the anatomy is as different as proposed, the genome would also differ quite substantially.
It's documented that the soviets tried to mate humans and apes, didn't work.
Also, I believe that a high percentage of the Neanderthal genome has been mapped as of 2013.
And it's documented that humans with European DNA typically have 1-1.5% Neanderthal DNA, with some being as high as 3%.
I think that modern man and Neanderthal man had a common ancestor at the beginning of Pleistocene era and each hominid developed according to the environment over 500-800,000 years. I also think modern man was more resilient to the major climate changes occurring 40,000 years and was able to adapt physically and cognitively, where the Neanderthal became extinct. Probably had a bit of interbreeding going on as modern man started to move into the European continent. It is also speculated that pale skin, freckles and red/blond hair came from Neanderthal genetic material.
