Scientists have reconstructed the face of 9,600-year-old Zuzu, who lived in modern-day Brazil.

The skeleton of Zuzu, believed to have lived thousands of years ago, was unearthed by archaeologists in 1997. 

(Photo : Moacir Elias Santos, Cicero Moraes)
The facial reconstruction of Zuzu, a man who lives roughly 9,600 years ago.

And since then, numerous mysteries have surrounded the recovered skeleton. But this time, a group of scientists went the extra mile to answer some lingering questions.

Face Reconstruction of Zuzu

According to a report by Live Science, a group of researchers began the study last year. And this year, scientists have successfully reconstructed the face of Zuzu.

An archaeologist at the Ciro Flamarion Cardoso Archaeology Museum in Brazil, Mooacir Elias Santos, is the study's first author.

Santos explains why they had to reconstruct the face of a person who lived thousands of years ago, like Zuzu.

The study's first author disclosed the primary goal for going about it.

The archaeologist says that "trying to recover the appearance that an individual had in life thousands of years ago is a way to bring them to the present day, bringing them closer to the public."

Doing so helped them learn about the culture, lifestyle, and diet of people in the past.

He notes that the "main interest was to be able to glimpse the face of Zuzu." And it turns out that the roughly 9,700-year-old skeleton is "one of the most important finds in the Serra da Capivara National Park region," the archaeologist highlights.

How Did They Reconstruct the Face of Zuzu

Last year, the scientists began taking numerous photographs of the 9,600-year-old skull at the Museum of Nature in Piauí, Brazil. They had to shoot several images to document every angle of the skeleton.

The photos they took were just the start of the monumental project that they were pursuing.

They used a total of 57 images of the skull covering various angles to create a 3D model of the skull.

The virtual 3D model helped the researchers reveal the face of the skeleton, which according to the scientists, is essential for the history of Brazil.

Besides stitching dozens of photos, the scientists also had to use computerized tomography of CT scans as they began restructuring the face of Zuzu.

The study's co-author told Live Science they had to use CT scans from living virtual donors. And by using that, they were able to "adjust the structure of the skull by including tissue thickness markers.

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Two Results

Interesting Engineering reports that the scientist created two results of a young man.

The first result featured closed eyelids and hair, whereas the second showed a bald depiction of Zuzu with open eyes.

Santos says that "the image was also rendered in grayscale as there is no accurate information about the skin color."

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