Lucy
lived more than three million years ago!
Lucy
is the name for the collection of several hundred pieces of bones
that once made up almost half of a hominin (ancestor of modern
humans) that we call Australopithecus afarensis. She and
others of her kind were a bit taller than a yardstick (or meter
stick)—Lucy is estimated to have been 3 feet 7 inches tall—and to
weigh 60 to 70 pounds (around 29 kilograms). They walked upright like
modern humans but had small brains like non-human apes.
Lucy
was found on this date in 1974, in Ethiopia, in Africa.
Donald
Johanson and other scientists made the discovery, which was quickly
and widely publicized. Why did the archeologists call the skeleton
Lucy? At the time of the discovery, the Beatles song Lucy in the
Sky with Diamonds was playing loudly and repeatedly on a tape
player at the archeological camp.
Check
out...
 |
| Lucy compared to modern human. |
- You might enjoy this “musical study guide” about the 3.2 million year old Lucy.
- For a ton more info on early humans, browse the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's “What Does It Mean to be a Human?” website.
Also
on this date:
