Who Is Lucy The Australopithecus? Google Logo Marks 1974 Discovery Of Early Human Ancestor Fossils
Discovered in Ethiopia, the skeletal remains uncovered by Yves Coppens, Maurice Taieb and Donald Johanson date back 3.2 million years.
Today’s Google logo has been replaced with an animated Doodle marking the 41st anniversary of the “Lucy” discovery — an anthropological dig that unearthed the skeletal remains of a female Australopthicus dating back 3.2 million years.
Found in Afar Triangle near Hadar, Ethiopa, Lucy was discovered by a team of scientist assembled by Yves Coppens, Maurice Taieb and Donald Johanson. The fossils accounted for 40 percent of the skeletal remains — the most complete specimen of an Australopithecus ever found — and shed light on human evolution.
[blockquote cite = “Google Doodle Blog”]In the coming months and years, this find would upend our understanding of bipedalism, and rewrite a significant chapter in the story of human evolution.[/blockquote]
Designed by Kevin Laughlin, the Doodle is displayed on Google home pages across the globe and links to a search for “Who Is Lucy The Australopithecus.” According to Google, its Lucy Doodle aims to recognized the historic anniversary by bringing Lucy — and her upright gait — to life.
Here’s today’s fully animated Lucy Doodle:
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