Donald Johanson

Donald Johanson is an American paleoanthropologist best known for discovering "Lucy," a remarkably well-preserved hominid skeleton in Ethiopia in 1974. Lucy, belonging to the species Australopithecus afarensis, is significant because she provided crucial insights into human evolution, showing that our ancestors walked upright much earlier than previously thought. Johanson's work has greatly contributed to our understanding of the origins of humanity, helping to piece together the evolutionary history that connects modern humans to earlier species. His discoveries have influenced both science and public understanding of human ancestry.