Scientists using sophisticated scanning technology on the fossil bones of the ancient human ancestor from Ethiopia dubbed "Lucy" have determined that she was adept at climbing trees as well as walking, an ability that in her case may have proven fatal. The 1974 discovery of Lucy created a scientific sensation and shed light on early stages of human evolution. Kappelman has hypothesized that Lucy, about 3-1/2 feet tall (1.07 meters), foraged on the ground and sought nightly refuge in trees. Her injuries indicated she fell from a height of more than 40 feet (12 meters), that earlier study found. "It may seem unique from our perspective that early hominins [members of the human evolutionary lineage] like Lucy combined walking on the ground on two legs with a significant amount of tree climbing, but Lucy didn't know she was unique," he said.

Source: Ethiopian News December 01, 2016 00:24 UTC