Who is Lucy? Google Doodle celebrates 41st anniversary of remarkable discovery

Lucy was discovered 41 years ago by a team of archeologists

TODAY is the 41st anniversary of the discovery of Lucy the Australopithecus, and Google have stayed true to form by marking the occasion with one of its trademark Doodles.

 

The Doodle shows a simplified version of human evolution - from an ape walking on all fours - to an upright homo sapien – this is known as the March of Progress.

'Lucy' was discovered 41 years ago when a team of archeologists working in Ethiopia found the remnants of an ancient skeleton. This skeleton became an important piece of the puzzle in determining how humans came to be.

Lucy is the oldest known example of a bipedal primate

The discovery was made in 1974 by archeologists Donald Johanson and Tom Gray who found 47 bones. The findings gave them sufficient information about the species to help understand the transition to homo sapiens

Dated at 3.2 million years old, Lucy is the oldest known example of a bipedal primate. The discovery makes great strides in bridging the gap between apes and homo sapiens.

Google has honoured the 41st anniversary with a Doodle

Interestingly, Lucy was named after Lucy from the Beatles hit - Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, as the song was playing back at their camp.

The Australopithecus species’ is believed to lived between three and four million years ago.

From Lucy’s skeletal remains, scientists have also discovered she was around three feet tall and weighed only 60 pounds.

Bone fragments belonging to Lucy