science

3.2 million-year-old human ancestor 'Lucy' had massive leg muscles to stand up straight and climb trees


A sculptor’s rendering of the hominid Australopithecus afarensis in an exhibition that included the 3.2 million-year-old fossilized remains of “Lucy.” (Image credit: Dave Einsel via Getty Images)

Our 3.2 million-year-old ancestor “Lucy” could stand and walk upright just like modern humans do, new 3D muscle modeling reveals.

The finding bolsters a growing consensus among researchers that Australopithecus afarensis — the extinct species to which Lucy belongs — walked erect rather than with a chimpanzee-like, crouching waddle.



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