In 1974, one the oldest fossils, a 3.2 million year-old skeleton of what was once a 3½ foot-tall adult ape-man was discovered in a northeastern Ethiopian archaeological camp by U.S. paleontologists Donald Johanson and Tom Gray. The creature was a member of Australopithecus afarensis and lived in Africa between four and three million years ago.
At the time of the discovery, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” by the Beatles was playing on the radio, and this inspired the archaeologists to call the fossil “Lucy.”
It is the earliest known hominid, and many scientists believe that it stood upright and walked on two feet. There is a debate over whether or not it was a closer ancestor to humans or apes. Many experts believe that it was closer to humans anatomically, but others argue about whether it had an ape’s agility in trees. The loss of this ability would suggest that it had more of a human existence.
The real remains of Lucy usually stay locked up in a vault while a replica of the bones are displayed in the Lucy exhibition at the Ethiopian Natural History Museum in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Therefore, not many people, including the Ethiopian public have had the chance to view the true fossil of Lucy, but beginning this September, that will all change.
Lucy will be going on a six-year American tour along with 190 other fossils, artifacts, and relics thanks to a team from the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, Texas that spent four years negotiating the U.S. tour.
The tour will begin in Houston and will visit Washington, New York, Denver, Chicago, and probably six other U.S. cities. The names of these other cities have not yet been revealed because details are still being worked out.
One thing that is definite is the tight security that will follow the skeleton from city to city. There is fear of damage as well as theft, so security will be in place to assure its safety. “Lucy” has been insured, but officials have refused to reveal for how much. They have also refused to say how much America is paying the Ethiopian government for this tour.
On the other hand, the Ethiopian Tourism and Culture Minister Muhammed Dirir has revealed that they plan to upgrade and build new museums with the money they make from this tour. This will be very helpful considering the fact that Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Reference:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,224363,00.html?sPage=fnc.science/evolution
