But it really wasn't until three to four years later, when we had an opportunity in the lab to make very detailed observations, and comparisons with other fossil discoveries, that we realized she was a new species of human ancestor.

Generally thought to be members of the species Australopithecus afarensis they are estimated to be about 3. Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins. S.

Along with Maurice Taieb and Yves Coppens he is known for discovering the fossil of a female hominid australopithecine known as "Lucy" in the Afar Triangle region of Hadar Ethiopia.