Today in History

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“Skeleton of “Lucy” Discovered (1974)

“Lucy,” a 3.2 million-year-old female hominid of the species Australopithecus afarensis, was discovered by scientists in Ethiopia’s Afar Depression. An unprecedented 40% intact, Lucy was the first fossil hominid to really capture public notice. Although she was 3 feet, 8 inches tall and looked somewhat like a Chimpanzee, her bipedal knee structure indicates that she walked upright, like a human. What other human skeletal features did she possess”" (Link)

Lucy was and is a very fundamental discovery in our understanding of evolution.  Various features on Lucy showed scientists how Lucy is similar to modern day humans.  This is a direct example of our evolution from another being.

•  She walked upright (on two feet)
• ” The cranial evidence recovered from Lucy are far less derived than her postcranium. Her neurocranium is small and primitive, while she possesses more spatulate canines than apes….This was due to the earlier belief (1950-1970’s) that increasing brain size of apes was the trigger for evolving towards humans. Before Lucy, a fossil called ‘1470′ (Homo rudolfensis) with a brain capacity of about 800 cubic centimetres had been discovered, an ape with a bigger brain. If the older theory was correct, humans most likely evolved from the latter. However, it turned out Lucy was the older fossil, yet Lucy was bipedal (walked upright) and had a brain of only around 375 to 500 cc. These facts provided a basis to challenge the older views.”

A very interesting day in science.

-Justin