We may only have 47 bones out of the 207 that were part of the skeleton of this incredible figure called Lucy, Australopithecus afarensi 3.18 million years ago. But these bones have produced incredible discoveries and even some controversial ones that have helped understand human evolution. The last one even came straight from Cambridge University!
Recently, researcher Ashleigh Wiseman created a 3D digital version of our ancestor’s soft tissue. By recreating the muscles of the legs and pelvis, the images support the theory that this hominid not only liked to climb trees, but also walked upright! Read on to find out more about “Granny” Lucy’s new secret!
How was the discovery made?
(Credit: University of Texas at Austin/AP Photo/Pat Sullivan/Reproduction)
Wiseman started with human MRIs and CT scans to figure out how the muscles work, then embarked on a virtual adventure reconstructing Lucy’s bones and joints. And to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, she even examined the traces of muscle on the bones.
The resulting model showed that our oldest “relative” had incredible abilities: he could walk upright and his legs were so muscular that he had fully adapted to a halfterrestrial, halfarboreal lifestyle. The researchers believe all that leg strength — which accounts for 74% of total weight, while we humans only have 50% — allowed Australopithecus afarensis to explore both dry land and trees. A true wildlife adventurer!
For Wiseman, Lucy’s ability to walk upright could only be unlocked by reconstructing the path and space a muscle occupies in the body. “Currently we are the only animals that can stand upright with straight knees. Lucy’s muscles show that she could walk on two legs just as well as we did and might also feel at home in trees. Lucy probably walked and moved differently than we did.” “I don’t see it in any living species today,” the archaeologist said in a statement.
Lucy’s story
(Credit: Carlos Lorenzo/Flickr)
In 1974, American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson found Lucy’s bones in Hadar, Ethiopia. At first, researchers assumed that it was the genus Homo. However, four years later the species received its own classification as AL 2881. Since then, researchers have managed to find that Australopithecus afarensis, an incredibly successful species, lived for about 300 years 900,000 yearsbetween 3.9 and 2.8 million years ago.
Named after the song Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds by beatlesBone analysis indicated that Lucy was likely a young adult thanks to a wisdom tooth and the fusion of some bones. Lo and behold she was about 1.50 meters tall!
stand up
(Source: Andrew Bardwell/Wikimedia Commons)
Despite much debate about how she walked, this new study reveals details of the knee joints and muscles that support the most popular theory: Lucy walked upright — no shuffling or hand walking — and still had the physical abilities to walk. Venture into the trees. “Australopithecus afarensis probably explored areas of open forest and thickets in East Africa a few years ago. three or four million years” says Wiseman.
In addition to discovering the age of fossils, we can now study the specific movements of these early humans. This gives us a complete picture of how we, Homo sapiens, emerged and conquered the world three million years later. And so we continue to unveil the mysteries of the past and better understand how we got to be the people we are today. Evolution is truly an amazing story!