The story of the "Lucy" fossil, the most famous australopithecus
The fossil remains of Lucy, the most famous australopithecus in the world, were found in Ethiopia in November 24, 1974. This exceptional discovery contributed to reconstructing some of the fundamental stages of human evolution.
It was November 24, 1974 when paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and his student Tom Gray found the remains of what would become the most famous australopithecus in history, Lucy. The fossil bones were found among the arid plains near the village of Hadar in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The discovery had an enormous media impact and has, in a certain sense, changed the approach of public opinion towards studies in the field of Human's evolution.
The discovery and reconstruction
The exceptional nature of the discovery lies in the high number of preserved fragments, equal to approximately 40% of the entire skeleton, and in the importance that the discovery has involved in the reconstruction of some fundamental stages of human evolution.
The period between 1973 and 1977 (in which Lucy was found) is known as the golden age for paleoanthropology. In the same fossil deposits of the Afar region, thousands of fossils of hominids who lived between 3 and 4 million years ago were brought to light, which allowed researchers to reconstruct a good part of the characteristics and lifestyle of Australopithecus afarensis, the species to which Lucy belongs.
The name "Lucy" is inspired by the well-known 1967 Beatles song, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", which was repeatedly played and sung at the top of the lungs during the celebrations at the camp on the same evening of the discovery. From that day on, it took about three weeks of excavation to uncover all the fossil bones. The bones immediately allowed an accurate reconstruction of the hominid's life: Lucy was just over one meter tall (1.1 m) and weighed about 29 kg. Her appearance was very similar to that of today's chimpanzees, with a very small skull and brain but with a pelvis and lower limbs clearly more similar to those of humans.
A key passage in the history of human evolution
Lucy, who lived in Africa around 3.2 million years ago, could clearly walk upright. Although she retained many body parts still linked to arboreal life, her legs were very long and her arms shorter, physical characteristics that began to move away from those of other primates and which are the basis of bipedalism. However, her rib cage and jaw were very similar to those of gorillas and chimpanzees, suggesting a predominantly plant-based diet. The massive musculature associated with the jaws also goes in this direction, and probably helped the australopithecus chew and grind plant leaves.
The cause of his death still remains a mystery; according to some researchers it occurred between 12 and 18 years of age. The life expectancy of an Australopithecus afarensis has been estimated at around 25 years. Lucy was therefore an adult female in the prime of reproductive age, although she was already showing signs of aging. There are no obvious traces of wounds or trauma on her bones, with the exception of some teeth marks left post-mortem by carnivorous animals and scavengers such as hyenas.
According to some scholars, she could have died by falling from a very tall tree, but this hypothesis is not shared by everyone.
The cultural importance and legacy of Lucy
Over the years Lucy has undoubtedly become the most famous Australopithecus in the world with exhibitions, documentaries and reproductions exhibited in museums all over the planet.
The media and scientific importance of Lucy and the other australopithecines (today at least six different species belonging to the genus Australopithecus are known) was contained in the fact that these hominids, with their intermediate characteristics between the genus Homo and the most ancient primates, seemed to be the the "missing link" in the hypothetical "march to progress" that led the apes to stand up and become what modern humans are.
Human evolution is the furthest thing that can exist from a linear path towards perfection that we Homo sapiens have ascribed to ourselves. Fossil evidence clearly shows that the natural history of numerous human species and their more remote ancestors was a much more intricate process, comparable to a bush which with its numerous, often parallel, branches led to the emergence of different types of human beings.
Some of these numerous human species have lived together, collided with each other, while others have even interbred and we still carry them with us today in our DNA. We Homo sapiens are therefore nothing more than the last lucky branch of a shrub that is much more tangled than we think and which, around 3 or 4 million ago, had its fundamental evolutionary stage in something very similar to the very famous Lucy.
