German scientists have discovered a second face just under the surface of the bust of Nefertiti, the Associated Press reports.

The group of researchers, led by Alexander Huppertz, director of the Imaging Science Institute at Berlin's Charité hospital and medical school, performed a CT scan on the sculpture that revealed an underlying stone carving that is slightly different than the external stucco face. The findings were published today in the monthly journal Radiology.

"Until we did this scan... the hypothesis was that the stone underneath was just a support," said Huppertz.

The 3,300-year-old bust depicts Queen Nefertiti, the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten.

The differences between the two faces are slight and include creases at the corners of the mouth and a bump on the nose in the stone version. Huppertz believes that someone must have ordered the adjustments.

John H. Taylor, a curator for Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum, cautioned against "attempting to explain the significance of these changes" but added that the information will be valuable in helping to preserve the sculpture.

The bust was discovered in 1912 by Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt, who brought it to Berlin. It is currently on view at the city's Altes Museum and will move to the Neues Museum when the institution reopens in October.