Scientists Use Advanced X-Ray Imaging to Reconstruct Face of 12-Million-Year-Old Great Ape

Scientists have reconstructed the face of a 12 million-year-old great ape, providing important insights into primate evolution and our own origins. The researchers used advanced X-ray imaging technology to create the first accurate three-dimensional image of the face of the great ape Pierolapithecus catalaunicus. The reconstructed face reveals a creature with a mix of physical characteristics, some shared by living primates and others by species that are now extinct. This mosaic of features may help scientists answer questions about the evolution of apes and their relationship to living species. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.