Final answer:
The statement that Neandertal DNA is remarkably similar to that of modern humans is true, with genetic research and fossil evidence supporting the fact that there was significant interbreeding between Neandertals and modern humans as they emerged out of Africa.
Step-by-step explanation:
The assertion that Neandertal DNA is remarkably similar to modern humans is true. Genetic studies have provided evidence that modern humans and Neandertals shared common ancestors and have significant genetic overlap. These findings are supported by the sequencing of the Neandertal genome which reveals that modern humans living outside Africa share about 2 to 3 percent more DNA with Neandertals than those living in Africa do.
Additional evidence comes from instances of interbreeding between Neandertals and modern humans, as the modern human genome contains segments of DNA that are more similar to Neandertal DNA than to other contemporary human sequences. This is not limited to populations in regions where Neandertal fossils have been found; for instance, Neandertals are as closely related to people from Papua New Guinea as to those from Europe and Asia, indicating genetic exchange took place when modern humans moved out of Africa.
The archaeological record also points towards this genetic mixing. In Siberia, for example, DNA from a girl's bone showed she had a Neandertal mother and a Denisovan father, demonstrating interbreeding between different hominin lineages. Furthermore, there's a presence of Neandertal DNA, estimated at 1 to 4 percent, in modern European and Middle Eastern populations, suggesting that mating between Homo sapiens and Neandertals was quite common.