composite image of cranium fossil of early human ancestor and facial reconstruction
Photomontage by Jennifer Taylor, courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Photography by Matt Crow and Dale Omori. Facial reconstruction by John Gurche made possible through generous contribution by Susan and George Klein.

CWRU researchers part of research team that discovered 3.8-million-year-old fossil

‘Unprecedented’ skull reveals face of human ancestor

National GeographicYohannes Haile-Selassie, an adjunct professor at CWRU and curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, was part of a team that discovered a fossil from a 3.8-million-year-old early human ancestor in Ethiopia. Beverly Saylor, a professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, led the effort to determine the skull’s age.