Editor's note: This article is part of a special package written for the 50th anniversary of the discovery of a 3.2 million-year-old A. afarensis fossil (AL 288-1), nicknamed "Lucy." About 3.2 ...

Lucy, a 3.2-million-year-old ancestor of humans, has once again helped scientists learn more about our early evolution -- specifically, how we walk and run on two legs. Computer models of her ...

Of all primates living today, only we humans walk fully upright. But Lucy and other fossil finds reveal that more than 3 million years ago, a relatively small-brained, ape-faced human ancestor ...

A newer dating technique using cosmogenic isotopes finds Australopithecus remains from the Sterkfontein caves to be about 1 million years older than previous estimates, potentially changing scientists ...

Taieb recognized the potential importance of the Hadar Formation, where remains of the hominin Australopithecus afarensis were found only a few years later. Lisa Winter became social media editor for ...

Australopithecus afarensis is one of the best-known early human ancestors ... To try and answer this question, my team reconstructed the complete skeleton of Lucy, using 3D modelling. Where parts were ...

A 3D polygonal model, guided by imaging scan data and muscle scarring, reconstructing the lower limb muscles of the Australopithecus afarensis fossil AL 288-1, known as ‘Lucy’.

Can they run fast enough, and far enough? Our team's research modeled the anatomy of these early humans, Australopithecus afarensis, to find out how well they could run.

Fossils alone may intrigue us, but we still yearn to see "fleshed-out" portraits of our ancient ancestors. Creating these images takes a wealth of scientific insight and a touch of artistic license.