NBC News
May 2, 2024, 5:42 AM EDT / Updated May 2, 2024, 5:55 AM EDT
By Alexander Smith
LONDON — She looks pretty good for 75,000 years old.
Particularly given that her skull was smashed into 200 pieces, possibly by a rockfall, before scientists meticulously pieced it together over the last six years.
This is Shanidar Z, a Neanderthal woman whose face was re-created by archaeologists at England’s University of Cambridge. Reimagining her facial features, rather than just the skull itself, the university said a report published on its website Thursday, has given experts new insight into what our ancient cousins actually looked like.