Just four kilometres from the site of the discovery of Lucy, in Ethiopia’s Afar region, fossil hunters have found the remains of an A. afarensis child dubbed “Lucy’s Baby.” The skeleton, thought to be that of a three-year-old girl, is the oldest and most complete hominin fossil yet found.
It has taken researchers five years to separate much of the fossil from the sandstone block in which it was found. The skeleton consists of an almost complete skull, the entire torso and parts of the arms and legs. Her discoverers think she may have been killed in a flood 3.3 million years ago.
The new fossil reinforces the theory that Australopithecus afarensis lived at least part of its time in the trees, although the lower body is adapted for walking upright. She has long curved fingers, and slanting shoulder sockets similar to those of a climbing ape like a gorilla. The skull is complete enough that researchers have been able to identify the balance organs of the inner ear, which also seem more ape-like than human. The human sense of balance is adapted not just for walking upright, but also for running distances on two legs – something that apes can’t do.
