Lucy (fossil)

Lucy is the nickname given to a remarkably well-preserved fossil of a female Australopithecus afarensis, an early human ancestor discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. Dated to about 3.2 million years ago, her skeleton provided crucial insights into human evolution, particularly showing that early hominins used to walk upright. Standing about 3.5 feet tall and weighing around 60 pounds, Lucy's discovery helped scientists understand aspects of bipedalism and the evolutionary path that led to modern humans. Her name, inspired by the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," symbolizes a significant milestone in paleoanthropology.