Don Johanson - Lucy's Legacy (broadcast Friday, March 6th, 2009)

Donald Johanson and a reconstruction of the Lucy skull. image � Arizona State Unviersity.

In 1974, anthropologist Don Johanson and colleagues working in Ethiopia discovered 'Lucy,' a 40-percent complete skeleton of a previously unknown type of ancient hominid. The species, which later was named Australopithecus afarensis, had a small, apelike brain, but was adapted to walk upright -- over 3 million years ago.

In this segment, Ira talks with paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, co-discoverer of the 'Lucy' fossil, about the find and what's been discovered since then about the human family tree. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests

Donald Johanson
Anthropologist, discovered "Lucy"
Co-Author (with Kate Wong): "Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins," (Harmony Books, 2009)
Virginia M. Ullman Chair in Human Origins
Director, Institute of Human Origins
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona