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Lucy-fer, the cursed australopithecus

Therrorific podcast: Unearthing the dark side of human evolution

OUTREACHING

B. Moncunill-Solé

10/17/20241 min read

A podcast featuring my story, 'Lucy-fer, the cursed australopithecus,' was published last week as part of the 'Spooky Science' series (promoted by Principia Magazine). In this episode, we explore the eerie side of human evolution, blending scientific facts with a chilling narrative. If you're fascinated by the dark corners of paleontology and evolutionary history, this is an episode you won't want to miss!

Take a deep breath and hit play! 

Amazon Music: Link. | Spotify: Link. | iVoox: Link.

Real facts: Australopithecus afarensis 'Lucy' was found in 1974 in Ethiopia by a team led by Donald Johanson. Her name was inspired by the Beatles' song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,' which was playing in the camp the night of her discovery. Lucy, who lived over 3 million years ago, is one of the best-preserved early human ancestors and gave us crucial insights into bipedalism, a defining feature of human evolution.

Australopithecus afarensis walked upright, but still retained some features suited for climbing, like curved fingers and toes, suggesting they spent time both on the ground and in trees. This species had a relatively small brain, around one-third the size of a modern human's, but Lucy and her kind were an important step in the evolutionary path toward Homo sapiens. Her discovery revolutionized our understanding of human ancestry and the evolution of upright walking. 

You can learn more about human evolution, origins and past species here.

Figure 1. Front cover of Episode VI of "Spooky Science".