Chinese scientists in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of southern China used 3D technology to reconstruct the face of a prehistoric human who lived 16,000 years ago, according to News China. The research, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, provides clues about early human physiology and the evolution of facial features in southern China.
"The joint research team used computer-assisted facial restoration methods," said project leader Xie Guangmao, a researcher at the Guangxi Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology. "The Yahuai Cave burial site is the second Paleolithic burial site found in China," Xie noted, according to News China. He added that the fossil is the only complete human skull fossil found in South China that allows for precise stratigraphy and reliable dating.
"The fossil has value for studies on early human diversity, prehistoric population migrations and communication practices, and burial traditions of humans in the Late Paleolithic Age," Xie stated. "The study of the skull fossil from the Yahuai Cave site helps improve our understanding of the physical characteristics of early humans in South China and is of great importance for questions such as how prehistoric humans migrated and spread there."
The team carried out high-precision restoration work with the help of 3D modeling software. Utilizing 3D geometric morphometry methods, they analyzed and compared the geometric shapes of the skull found in the Yahuai Cave area with modern human skulls. This allowed them to create a detailed reconstruction of the prehistoric individual's face.
The reconstructed face features round contours, a narrow eye line, and a flat nose structure. The geometric shape of the prehistoric skull resembles that of a modern female skull more closely but has a higher frontal bone. Scientists found the prehistoric skull to be larger than modern female skulls but smaller than modern male skulls.
The Yahuai Cave site, located in Bolang Village, Longan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was excavated between 2015 and 2018. Guangxi is an important gateway connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia, making it a region for studying early human migrations.
The reconstruction was carried out in 2023 by researchers from Guangxi Normal University, the Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust in the U.K., the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, the Guangxi Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology, and Beijing Normal University.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.