(Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/fossil-lucy-superstar-evolution-science
Relevance: Physical Anthropology – 1.6 Human Fossils
Named after The Beatles’ song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, her discovery in 1974 by Donald Johanson and Tom Gray turned her into a household name. Over time, more fossils from Hadar, Ethiopia, reinforced her species’ significance, making Lucy a symbol of human ancestry.
Fifty years ago, a small skeleton changed the way we think about human evolution. Discovered in Ethiopia, Lucy, a 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis, became an icon of paleoanthropology.
Unlike earlier beliefs that human evolution followed a straight path, Lucy’s blend of humanlike traits—such as a curved spine—and apelike features—like long arms and a small brain—revealed a more complex, branching evolutionary tree. Her partial skeleton, remarkably well-preserved due to a fortunate fossilization process, provided crucial insights into early bipedalism.
Even today, debates about her lifestyle, diet, and how she moved persist, keeping her at the center of scientific discussions. With her unmatched public recognition and evolutionary importance, Lucy remains the most famous hominid ever discovered—an ancient ancestor whose story continues to shape our understanding of where we came from.