Researchers discovered a nearly complete skull of one of our earliest ancestors that died some 3.8 million years ago in Ethiopia. /VCG Photo

The skull, which belonged to a member of one of earliest ape-like human ancestors called Australopithecus anamensis, is the oldest Australopithecus skull ever found. /VCG Photo

Paleo artist John Gurche reconstructed what Australopithecus anamensis might look like by scanning the face of the newfound skull. /VCG Photo

The unprecedented finding could fill in several important gaps in the study of human evolution. /VCG Photo