Perhaps the world's most famous early human ancestor, the 3.2-million-year-old ape "Lucy" was the first Australopithecus afarensis skeleton ever found, though her remains are only about 40 percent complete (photo of Lucy's bones). ... afarensis was for about 20 years the earliest known human ancestor species (Africa map).

Is Lucy the oldest human?

Lucy's Ethiopian name is Dinkinesh, which translates to “you are marvelous.” Peoples of the Afar region call Lucy “Heelomali” which means “she is special.” At the time of Lucy's discovery, she was a shining star in the world of paleoanthropology: she was the oldest, most complete hominin skeleton ever discovered; she ...

Are humans descended from Lucy?

The micro CT scans conducted in Austin offered other insights into Lucy's life history. ... Lucy is full of these stories. At 3.2 million years old, her species represents the rough halfway point in human evolution (we split from our last common ancestor with chimpanzees about 6 million years ago).