What you learned in school
Anthropology textbooks taught that modern humans evolved directly from Neanderthals in a linear evolutionary progression. Students learned about the "missing link" and saw diagrams showing ape to Neanderthal to modern human in a straight line. This "Neanderthal phase" in human evolution was presented as an established fact, with Neanderthals depicted as our direct ancestors rather than cousins.
What we know now
Anthropology textbooks taught that modern humans evolved directly from Neanderthals in a linear progression. Students learned about the "missing link" and saw diagrams showing ape to Neanderthal to modern human. Neanderthals were depicted as our direct ancestors. Genetic analysis has revealed that modern humans and Neanderthals are separate species that evolved from a common ancestor. However, humans and Neanderthals did interbreed, and most non-African humans carry 1-2% Neanderthal DNA. The relationship is more complex than the simple linear evolution once taught.