See the lifelike face of Zuzu, a man who lived 9,600 years ago in Brazil

Live Science ^ | February 14, 2023 | Jennifer Nalewicki

[SunkenCiv]

In 1997, archaeologists unearthed a skeleton buried in the fetal position at Toca dos Coqueiros, an archaeological site in Brazil's Serra da Capivara National Park. Based on the size and shape of the skull, they identified the remains as female and named the skeleton Zuzu. But that classification has remained steeped in controversy(opens in new tab), with many researchers claiming the deceased was actually male.

Now, a new facial approximation of the 9,600-year-old skull may help put this debate to rest.

Last year, researchers took dozens of photos from different angles of the skull, which is on display at the Museum of Nature in Piaui, Brazil. Using photogrammetry, they digitally stitched the 57 photographs together to create a virtual 3D model of the skull...

To inform their work, they used computerized tomography (CT scans) from living virtual donors and applied that information(opens in new tab) to "adjust the structure of the skull" by including tissue thickness markers, study co-author Cícero Moraes(opens in new tab), a Brazilian graphics expert, told Live Science in an email...

The researchers created two results, both depicting a young man with a broad nose and lips. One of the approximations included hair and eyebrows based on information provided by the virtual donors, and the other featured Zuzu with closed eyes and without hair. Because the digital face was "slightly emaciated," the researchers retracted the lower jaw to match a gap that came from some missing teeth, according to the study.

[SunkenCiv]

Researchers created two facial approximations of Zuzu using photogrammetry of the skull.

Image credit: Moacir Elias Santos and Cícero Moraes

[Mr.Unique]

I saw this guy in the parking lot of Home Depot this morning.

[SunkenCiv]

I have a feeling we've had very few GGG topics this week, here are the current links over at Archaeologica, and some of these are likely to appear in the next seven days. I've also got some things on deck that are open in other tabs, where they have been waiting for me to get back to them over the past three days or so.

• February 14th, 2023 Edition
  • Medieval Pantry Stocked With Spices Found in 500-Year-Old Shipwreck Smithsonian Magazine
  • Unique discovery offers glimpse of provincial culture in Inka Empire Phys
  • Medieval Italian Woman Had Her Skull Operated On Multiple Times IFL Science
  • Archaeologists in Kenya Have Unearthed Some of the Most Ancient Stone Tools Ever Used by Humans Around 2.9 Million Years Nature World News
  • Medieval religious hermit buried in 'extremely unusual' position had syphilis Live Science
  • Archaeological dig helps uncover Westchester's lost African American history News 12 Westchester
  • Codebreakers find, decipher lost letters of Mary, Queen of Scots Phys
  • Stone Age discovery fuels mystery of who made early tools Phys
  • Unexploded artillery shell unearthed at Gettysburg. It may have been a case of friendly fire Boston News
  • ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER BURIALS WITH SHELL FLOWERS AND GREEN QUARTZ EARRINGS Heritage Daily
  • Lasers reveal ruins of 5th-century fortress in Spanish forest Live Science
  • CT SCAN REVEALS 49 AMULETS IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MUMMY Heritage Daily
  • Tree rings reveal drought that might have doomed the Hittites Nature
  • Drought may have doomed this ancient empire -- a warning for today's climate crisis Washington Post
  • York skeleton reveals lifestyle of medieval anchoress BBC
  • Ancient Statue of Emperor Dressed as Hercules Discovered During Roman Sewer Repairs Smithsonian Magazine
  • Bering Land Bridge was only passable during 2 brief windows, study finds Live Science
  • ORNATELY FASHIONED GOLD BEAD FOUND IN JERUSALEM PARK Heritage Daily
  • Rare drought coincided with Hittite Empire collapse Cornell Chronicle
  • NEW DISCOVERIES AT GREAT PYRAMID OF CHOLULA Heritage Daily
  • Fear of reanimated corpses may explain mysterious burials at 1,600-year-old cemetery Live Science
  • Neanderthals caught and cooked crabs 90,000 years ago Popular Science
  • ROMAN PARADE MASK DISCOVERED IN ROMANIA Heritage Daily
  • Harvard Peabody Museum to Return a Gitnagun'aks House Post to Gitxaała Nation in Latest Repatriation Effort Harvard Crimson
  • Proof that Neanderthals ate crabs is another 'nail in the coffin' for primitive cave dweller stereotypes Phys
  • Prehistoric human migration in Southeast Asia driven by sea-level rise, study reveals Phys
  • Native Americans Conducted Large-Scale Copper Mining 6,000 Years Ago Scientific American
  • 17th-century Frenchwoman's 'innovative' gold dental work was likely torturous to her teeth Live Science
  • Mysterious skeleton revealed to be that of unusual Lady Anchoress of York Barbican University of Sheffield
  • Ancient road found beneath new town in Devon BBC
  • Ancient spear tip stuck in mastodon's rib is oldest bone weapon in America, study says San Luis Tribune
  • Digging for Britain: Prehistoric find shines light on Neolithic life BBC
  • STUDY REVEALS CHANGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DOWNTOWN CAHOKIA Heritage Daily
  • In Louisiana, Climate Change Threatens the Preservation of History Inside Climate News
  • The two-century-old mystery of Waterloo's skeletal remains Phys
  • RESEARCHERS FIND OLDEST BONE PROJECTILE POINT IN THE AMERICAS Heritage Daily
  • Researchers identify oldest bone spear point In the Americas Phys
  • Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable Phys
  • Battle site of 'Great Revolt' recorded on Rosetta Stone unearthed in Egypt Live Science
  • Mudlarker discovers cup in Thames that may be rare Roman find BBC
  • How Should Scientists Navigate the Ethics of Ancient Human DNA Research? Smithsonian Magazine
  • Neanderthals lived in groups big enough to eat giant elephants Science Magazine
  • Viking warriors sailed the seas with their pets, bone analysis finds Live Science
  • Biomolecular analyses enable new insights into ancient Egyptian embalming Nature

[SunkenCiv]

His hair was perfect!

[SunkenCiv]

The other GGG topics added since the previous digest ping, chrono sort:

• 'Two modern families,' a 70-year-old mystery and a soldier laid to rest [02/17/2023]
• Wikileaks just dumped all of their files online. Everything from Hillary Clinton's emails, McCain's being guilty, Vegas shooting done by an FBI sniper.. [02/16/2023]
• What the 1619 Project overlooks about slavery and the Constitution: There is an important oversight in the so-called scholarship [02/15/2023]
• The Hoplite Heresy: Why We Don't Know How the Ancient Greeks Waged War [02/14/2023]
• Why Israel's enemies will hate the Louvre [02/12/2023]
• Bering Land Bridge was only passable during 2 brief windows, study finds [02/12/2023]
• Proof that Neanderthals ate crabs is another 'nail in the coffin' for primitive cave dweller stereotypes [02/12/2023]
• Discovering the Secrets of Emperor Qin's Mausoleum [02/12/2023]
• Puzzling Roman-Era Remains Found in Switzerland [02/12/2023]
• Did more than one ancient human relative use early stone tools? [02/12/2023]
• 'Everyone was excited': Ancient gold bead uncovered in Jerusalem [02/11/2023]
• The Deadliest Earthquake Ever Recorded [02/11/2023]
• Dr. Phil debate on illegal immigration gets explosive: 'Why didn't White people stay in England?' [01/12/2023]

[for-q-clinton]

How do they know he didn’t identify as a woman and use the pronoun it/they

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Looks Polynesian in the second picture, looks Ainu in the first.

And the face really is androgynous enough to be either male or female.

The first face looks older then the second.

Just my own opinion and why haven't they taken some DNA from the teeth to settle the matter?

[Codeflier]

But did they find Zuzu’s petals?

[Deaf Smith]

If they identified the remains as female, why reconstruct the face/head as a young male?

[Spok]

There’s so much incredible history in the world! Why do they make movies about comic book characters? Unlike fiction, if it’s accurate, it doesn’t have to be plausible.

[JBW1949]

At this point, what difference does it make????

[Leaning Right]

Fun fact: Zuzu voted for Biden (twice) in 2020.

[blam]

Luzia Woman
(11,500 years old found in Brazil)

[norwaypinesavage]

Wow, there were great barbers some 10,000 years ago.

[nicollo]

He died while he was out looking for the place called Lee Ho Fooks (had the munchies for a big dish of beef chow mein)

[packagingguy]

He looks a bit like Marco Rubio.

[Does so]

FTA:

“The image was also rendered in grayscale (BLACK and WHITE) as there is no accurate information about the skin color. Therefore, such an image would be the closest to what the real face could be.”

Democrats will see to it that the WHITE will be removed!

[Does so]

Never mind the Brazilian named Zuzu.

I want to see an updated Xuxa!

[I want the USA back]

Oh, so they CAN tell the sex by the skeleton. So sexual dimorphism IS expressed in every skeleton. No matter what the trans crazies say.

[M Kehoe]

Hi.

With all these treads regarding dead people’s remains, I’ve decided to be cremated.

5.56mm