NEANDERTHALS made themselves feel at home in much the same way as modern humans, research suggests.

Scientists studying an ancient cave shelter found evidence that Neanderthals thoughtfully organised their living space, assigning different areas to different activities such as preparing food, making tools and gathering round the fire.

Previously it had been assumed that Neanderthals lived in a state of messy chaos. Dr Julien Riel-Salvatore, from the University of Colorado, US, said: "Neanderthals did not just throw their stuff everywhere but in fact were organised and purposeful when it came to domestic space."

Neanderthals were similar to early modern humans in many ways but belonged to a separate sub-species.