Who is Lucy the Australopithecus? Google Doodle celebrates early human ancestor

Today, November 24, Google is celebrating the 41st anniversary of the discovery of a pile of bones by paleoanthropologists working in Ethiopia with a Google Doodle.

This pile of bones belonged to a skeleton that would shine some light on the way in which our species evolved from tree dwelling apes to the tall statured and intelligent human beings we are today.

Nicknamed 'Lucy', after the Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, the several hundred pieces of fossilised bone made up almost half of the full skeleton of a previously unknown hominid species. Scientists named the new human ancestral species Australopithecus afarensis.



Lucy's fossilised bones were carbon dated to be 3.2 million years old, and were unique because most skeletons of the same age were usually incomplete and damaged. Because of the largely intact and complete nature of the find, scientists have been able to learn a lot about the evolution of the human species from Lucy.

One of the most important characteristics of Lucy's bones is her knee structure and her spine curvature. Scientists were able to conclude from the structure of her bones Lucy mainly walked upright, a very human trait.

Standing at 1.1 metres tall and weighing 27 kilograms, Lucy had grown to full adult size for her species. She had longer arms relative to her legs, but not as long as those of a chimpanzee. Her skull was small and not unlike that of an ape, with scientists suggesting her facial features and structure could be similar to a gorilla.

Researchers originally believed her muscular jaw structure and cone-shaped rib cage hinted she had a plant-based diet, however further finds in 2010 lead scientists to believe the Australopithecus afarensis species were the first of their kind to cook, cut and eat meat.

One of the biggest puzzles surrounding Lucy's skeleton is no one really knows how she died. Scientists conclude from her teeth degradation she was a mature but young female, but there is no indication that age was a factor in her death.

There is however a large carnivorous tooth mark on her left pubic bone. It is unclear whether or not this mark came from the animal which killed Lucy or whether the bite came after her death.

Lucy's skeleton is hidden away under lock and key in a safe at the National Museum of Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, not too far from where she was first discovered. Between 2007 and 2013 she toured the United States, despite fears the travelling exhibition might damage her. Today only a plaster replica can be seen at the National Museum of Ethiopia.

Google has designed a Google Doodle which reflects the simple interpretation of the famous 'March of Progress' - the illustration showing a stylised theory of evolution from apes to humans. The animation puts Lucy right in the middle of the evolution process, suggesting she played a key part in the evolution of who we are today.