The Principal Investigator

After a few days of bad press a few weeks back, Lucy, the 3.2 million-year-old ancestor of humans, is back in the news again.

Researchers at the University of Texas-Austin today (2.06.09) announced they have digitized the oldest, most complete fossil record of an upright walking human ancestor by using high-resolution CT scan of her remains.

The discovery of Lucy in Ethiopia in the early-1970s overturned previous theories that the brains of ancestors evolved prior to bipedalism (the ability to walk upright). Though Lucy’s skull was small, her bone structure indicated she walked upright.

2007 marked the first year that the remains of Lucy traveled outside her native Ethiopia. Beginning her US tour in Houston, Lucy made a 10-day pit stop in Austin where the researchers used CT scanning to image all 80 pieces of her remains before moving on to Seattle, where she is on exhibit until March.

The images of Lucy’s bones will now allow scientists to peer back in time and compare Lucy’s bone structure to those of modern humans and apes.

“Because Lucy is so complete, she is one of the few fossils that permit us to compare how she used her arms versus how she used her legs,” UT-Austin anthropologist John Kappleman said in a press release. “These new data will allow us to examine the theory that she climbed about in the trees, as well as walked on two legs when she was on the ground.”

Additionally, the scans offer a digital record of Lucy’s remains.

“These scans will ensure that future generations are familiar with Lucy,” said Jara Mariam, director general of Ethiopia’s Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, in a press release. Eventually, “a virtual Lucy will be able to visit every classroom on the planet” through a Web site. Researchers will be able to

A website with a basic version will allow students to look at Lucy and compare her skeleton with those of modern humans and apes, and researchers will be able to access the images on high-resolution files.

Lucy made headlines several weeks ago after the President and CEO of the Pacific Science Center in Seattle reported poor attendance at the Lucy exhibit was costing the center close to $500,000. The center responded with lay-offs of 8 percent of its staff and wage freezes, according to The Seattle Times. Lucy’s poor-received debut in the states has science museums second-guessing if they want to commit to the exhibit.

Famous fossil Lucy scanned at the University of Texas at Austin (press release)

Related links:

Lucy’s bones secretly scanned at UT (Austin American-Statesman, 2.6.09)

Lucy 2.0: Famous fossil hominid goes digital (Wired.com, 2.6.09)

Few lining up to see famous fossil at Pacific Science Center (The Seattle Times, 1.24.09)