Australopithecus afarensis had an ape-like brain Contrary to previous claims, the brain imprints of A. afarensis were found to be ape-like, lacking key features that uniquely evolved in humans.

Australopithecus afarensis may have walked upright and looked somewhat human-like, but they were much smaller than we are. Lucy died as a young but fully grown adult, and stood only 1.1m (3.7ft ...

Australopithecus afarensis, an ancient human ancestor who lived around 3 million years ago, spent most of its time walking, instead of climbing trees like chimps.

A sculptor's rendering of "Lucy," Australopithecus afarensis, at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on August 28, 2007. Dave Einsel / Getty Images About 3.2 million years ago, among the ...

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’.

A new study published in Current Biology provides insights into the running abilities of Lucy, the 3.2 million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis whose discovery in 1974 has captivated scientists ...

A sculptor's rendering shows what Australopithecus afarensis looked like 3.2 million years ago. Dave Einsel/Getty Images. Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter.

And her remarkable species, Australopithecus afarensis, may have been our direct ancestor. Our discoveries about Lucy have transformed our understanding of humanity's tangled family tree.

“Australopithecus afarensis would have roamed areas of open wooded grassland as well as more dense forests in East Africa around 3 to 4 million years ago.

Australopithecus afarensis, the extinct species to which Lucy belongs, could probably straighten its knee joints, extend its hips and stand up straight like modern humans.

Johanson’s find became known as Lucy – named after the Beatles song Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds – a 3.2 million-year-old female skeleton that gave an unprecedented picture of her species ...