[Liberal Classic]

Modern man was either genetically re-engineered from the neanderthal or some other hominid, brought here from elsewhere, or created separately. Those are your three choices.

[tomzz]

One overall impression you get reading midrashim, is that Adam and Eve were real, historical people with complicated histories, but you're left on your own as to how to interpret the statement that they were the first people.

Somebody into that sort of guessing might at least entertain the possibility that first in that case meant "First such as us", that is, first modern humans as opposed to neanderthals.