We share a common ancestor with Neanderthals, but this ancient population remains largely a mystery. Now, researchers have used new digital techniques to recreate the skull of the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals for the first time. The skull also shows how our ancient forefathers had human cheekbones, but a Neanderthal-like bulge at the back of the skulls. The 'virtual fossil' has been simulated by plotting a total of 797 'landmarks' on fossilised skulls stretching over almost two million years of Homo history. These skulls included a 1.6 million-year-old Homo erectus fossil, Neanderthal crania found in Europe and a 19th century skulls in Cambridge.Scientists plotted 797 'landmarks' on fossilised skulls over Homo historyThey fed a digital skull into the timeline, warping it to fit fossil changesResulting virtual 3D ancestral skull bears early hallmarks of both speciesIt also shows how a lineage split occurred 700,000 years ago, rather than 400,000 years ago as previously thought
1.8 million years ago - _ ergaster begins to appear in fossil record