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Lucy Debuts in Houston

Posted Aug 29, 07 5:20 AM CDT in World,  Science & Health,  US 

(Newser) – Lucy kicks off her public debut  at the Houston Museum of Natural Science tomorrow amid controversy that the world's favorite human ancestor should never have left her home in Ethiopia. The public wants the chance to the 3.2 million-year-old remains, but scientists say Lucy's too fragile to travel.

Despite the fact that a slew of older ape-like species have been unearthed since her discovery in 1974, Lucy remains "an icon of human evolution," one scientist told the Houston Chronicle. But her spot in the popular imagination could also be her undoing. Her projected six-year tour —in violation of UNESCO guidelines— could severely damage the fossil.

Source Houston Chronicle

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Dirk Van Tuerenhout, curator of Anthropology, Houston Museum of Natural Science, stands in front of the museum in Houston Thursday August 28, 2007. The 3.2 million year old, complete Australopithecus...   (Associated Press)
An artist's life-sized model of Lucy, based on the 3.2 million year old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton called Lucy, is part of a new exhibit shown during a press preview at the Houston Museum of...   (Associated Press)
The 3.2 million year old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton called Lucy, part of a new exhibit, is displayed during a press preview at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Houston Tuesday, Aug. 28,...   (Associated Press)
Sam Houston State University assistant professor of paleontology Patrick Lewis takes a close look at Lucy's re-created likeness from her 3.2 million-year-old fossilized bones, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007,...   (Associated Press)
The 3.2 million year old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton called Lucy is displayed during a press preview at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Houston Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007. The exhibit opens...   (Associated Press)
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evolution • Houston • fossil • Ethiopia • human evolution • Lucy


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