Lucy was discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia and when she was found 50 years ago, she was the oldest known human specimen in existence. The remains of the proto-human are 3.18-million-year-old and they continue to support new scientific investigations even to this day.
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00:00These are the 3.18 million year old remains of Lucy.
00:07She was discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia, and when she was found 50 years ago, she was the
00:12oldest known human specimen ever.
00:15Despite her short lifespan, believed to have been between 11 and 13 years of age at the
00:19time of her death, she breathed new life into the evolutionary study of our own species.
00:23Her discovery revealed that humans had existed beyond a more limited time frame, and provided
00:27a better understanding of how to assemble later human fossilized remains.
00:31Her deformed vertebrae also highlighted the evolving upright human stance, with experts
00:35saying she likely had back problems.
00:37For many of these reasons, she was nicknamed the grandmother of humanity.
00:41But despite her agedness, more, even older finds have been discovered since.
00:45One such find in Chad in 2001 included a human skull, which dated back some 6 or 7 million
00:50years.
00:51However, many experts continue to argue on exactly when humans emerged, and which skeletal
00:55fragments might belong to different hominid species.
00:58Still, Lucy's legacy continues, with new studies using new technologies divining new
01:03clues about our ancestor, with one investigation in 2016 determining she likely spent a lot
01:08of time in trees, and another study following it, suggesting she may have died after falling
01:13out of one.