Ancient Moroccan skull reveals early human face

A Moroccan human skull from thousands of years ago has allowed scientists to create the oldest known facial reconstruction of Homo sapiens. The skull, found at Jebel Irhoud, shows that early humans had eye sockets much wider than those of modern humans.

Reconstruction used advanced 3D modeling

Researchers used software called Blender to build a three-dimensional model of the face. They combined data from a medical scanner, video photogrammetry, and soft tissue information from people of African descent to complete the reconstruction.

Skull is a composite of multiple fossils

The skull analyzed was not a single fossil but a combination of pieces. The cranium came from one fossil, while the jaw and teeth were from other fossils found at the same site between 1961 and 2007.

Jebel Irhoud confirmed as earliest human cradle

Since 2017, Jebel Irhoud has been recognized as the oldest known origin of Homo sapiens. Two studies in Nature showed that humans appeared 100,000 years earlier than previously thought due to findings at this site.

Early human brain size matched modern males

The brain volume of the reconstructed individual was about 1,230 cm³, nearly the same as the average for modern males. This finding was published in the journal Heritage.