Blog Assignment #8: (Part 1 of 6 posts) Part 6 Human's: Riddle of the Bones

Human's: Riddle of the Bones

1. What is "Lucy" and how did it get it's name?
"Lucy" is a preserved fossil of female bones found in east Africa that is almost 3.2 million years old. "Lucy" got its name from the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" the song that was playing when she was discovered in 1974.
2. Which hominid species does this activity focus on?
The hominid species that this activity focused on was A. afarensis.
3. Why do scientists believe these species all belong to the same family?
The reason that scientists believe that these species could have all belonged to the same family was because of the wide range in body size. This led them to also suspect that they were all from the same "extended family" of 13 individuals which ended up being entomed together in a flash flood disaster. There had most likely been 9 adults and 4 children judging from their teech and jaws, but they were certainly all from the same species. The difference in the size of Lucy's petite bones and the more robust bones found at Hadar puzzled paleoanthropologists but upon further research of thousands of fossils they concluded that the males had most likely been more tall and blukier than the females, similar to present day gorillas.
4. How old is each set of fossils show in this activity?
The First Family fossil set was 3.2 million years old, Lucy was 3.2 million years old as well, the Hadar Skull was 3.0 million years old & the Laetoli Footprints were 3.6 million years old.
5. Based on the description of each set of bones and the footprints, did this species live in trees or on land? Explain and defend your answer by referencing the evidence in your explanation.
Based on the description of each set of bones and footprints I conclude that this species lived on land. The reason behind my conclusion is that the evidence provided states that the first set of heel bones were able to withstand pressure of walking upright. Like the modern heels of a human being they were filled with shock absorbing "spongy" bone rather than the more solid bone found in the heels of apes. Toe bones that were also found among the first family indicate that they don't curve forward towards the heel as do the toes of modern tree climbing primates. Another piece of evidence was Lucy's pelvis which hints that she walked upright on two legs, the pelvis looking much like that of a modern woman's pelvis which helped support her upper body as she moved.
6. How did males and females of this species differ?
Males and females of this species differed because the males were much more robust and taller than the females. Just like modern gorillas the males towered over the females.
7. How did the brains of this species compare to modern humans? What evidence supports this?
The brains of this species were small-brained compared to modern humans because of the cavity at the back of the skull evidence states that they only had chimp sized brains.