Final answer:
DNA evidence confirms that Neanderthals and modern humans interbred, with modern European and Middle Eastern populations carrying about 1 to 4 percent Neanderthal DNA.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans mated together is true. Nuclear DNA evidence from multiple studies shows that Neanderthal DNA is present in modern European and Middle Eastern populations, at about 1 to 4 percent. This genetic legacy indicates that interbreeding occurred between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.
Further evidence comes from the discovery of the mixed ancestry of a girl from Siberia, who had both a Denisovan father and a Neanderthal mother, and DNA studies showing that mitochondrial DNA from Denisovans and Neanderthals has been found in modern humans.