Lucy: The Fossil That Transformed Our Understanding of Human Evolution

Discovered 50 years ago, Lucy's remains provided crucial insights into early human ancestors and sparked ongoing scientific debates.

Lucy, discovered in Ethiopia in 1974, is a 3.2 million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton that reshaped views on human evolution.
Her discovery demonstrated that bipedalism evolved long before the development of larger brains and advanced tool use.
Named after the Beatles' song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,' she became a cultural and scientific icon known worldwide.
Lucy’s fossil remains, 40% complete, were the most intact early hominid skeleton at the time, providing a clearer picture of our evolutionary past.
Despite newer fossil finds, Lucy remains central to debates about human ancestry and continues to inspire research into our origins.