Final answer:
Lucy is the nickname given to the fossilized remains of an adult female Australopithecus afarensis, an early human ancestor that lived about 3.2 million years ago. Her discovery has been crucial for studying human evolution, particularly the development of bipedalism and early human characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Lucy refers to the fossilized skeletal remains of an individual from the species Australopithecus afarensis, one of the early ancestors to humans. Discovered in the 1970s in Ethiopia by paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, Lucy was an adult female who lived about 3.2 million years ago. Her discovery provided significant insights into the evolution of bipedalism and the physical characteristics of early hominins.
The species Australopithecus afarensis is noteworthy for its combination of human-like and ape-like features. With a chimpanzee-like skull and a brain size of approximately 500 cubic centimeters, they walked upright on two legs, as evidenced by Lucy's skeletal structure.
Evolving in the African savannah, these early hominins eventually gave rise to multiple human species. Over millions of years, these species developed critical human characteristics, such as tool use, control of fire, and language. The discovery of Lucy and her species has been pivotal in understanding our evolutionary past and the shared lineage of apes and humans.