The discovery in 1974 of the fossil skeleton known as Lucy was a monumental event in human origins research. To mark its 50th anniversary, learn more about this 3.2-million-year-old find and the significance of Lucy’s species, Australopithecus afarensis, from paleoanthropologist Rick Potts, head of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program and the Peter Buck chair in human origins at the National Museum of Natural History.

Then hear from paleo-artist John Gurche, who was commissioned by the museum to reconstruct Lucy’s body for the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins. He illustrates how he built it from the bones up and why the face, hands, and feet of the species are unlike those of any human or ape living today. He also explains the ways in which comparative anatomy can be used to reconstruct an extinct form, such as bringing Lucy back to life.

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