Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis)
- Date
- 24 de noviembre de 1974 · confidence high
- Place
- Hadar, Afar Region, Ethiopia
- Credited to
- Donald Johanson, Maurice Taieb, Yves Coppens, Tom Gray
- People
- 👤 Donald Johanson1943–👤 Maurice Taieb1935–2021👤 Tom Gray👤 Yves Coppens1934–2022
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
A skeleton 3.2 million years old, 40% complete, showed that bipedalism preceded brain enlargement: a hominin with the pelvis and legs of a walker and a small skull. It was the oldest and most complete known human ancestor for decades.
Coordinates of the Hadar site. Named after the Beatles song; in Amharic 'Dinkinesh' (you are marvellous).
What it led to
- Consolidation of East Africa as the cradle of humanity
- 'Bipedalism first' model of human evolution
- Later discoveries: Ardi (4.4 Ma), Selam, Homo naledi
Built on
- Taung Child and Australopithecus africanus1924-1925
- AL 129-11973
- Olduvai and the Leakeys
- Taieb's geological survey in the Afar
Made possible
- Laetoli footprints1978
- Turkana Boy (Homo erectus)1984
- Ardipithecus ramidus (Ardi)1994-2009
- Biomechanical analysis of fossils