Climbing to the top: A personal memoir of Australopithecus afarensis

Last autumn marked the 25 anniversary of the discovery of “Lucy.” While that certainly was a momentous event in paleoanthropology, it had no less profound an effect on my academic life, for it presaged my eventual seduction into the arena of hominid fossil interpretation. My friend John Fleagle, editor of Evolutionary Anthropology, says I may introduce this paper with a history of that experience. He assures me this is appropriate because I have now reached the age when young people in the field have no idea who I am.

[1]  H. Elftman,et al.  Chimpanzee and human feet in bipedal walking , 1935 .

[2]  P'an Ming-Tzu.  Septal apertures in the humerus in the Chinese , 1935 .

[3]  Indian anthropology: Essays in memory of D. N. Majumdar. Edited by T. N. Madan and Gopala Sarana. x + 420 pp. $11.00. Asia Publishing House, New York, 1962 , 1964 .

[4]  The year of the Gorilla, by George B. Schaller, xi + 260 pp., 16 plates, maps, $5.95. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill., 1964 , 1964 .

[5]  Funktionelle Anpassung des Knochens durch Längenwachstum , 1965 .

[6]  M. P. Murray,et al.  Walking patterns of patients with unilateral hip pain due to osteo-arthritis and avascular necrosis. , 1971, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[7]  A. Poznanski,et al.  Metacarpophalangeal length in the evaluation of skeletal malformation. , 1972, Radiology.

[8]  K G Heiple,et al.  The gait of Australopithecus. , 1973, American journal of physical anthropology.

[9]  G. H. Albrecht,et al.  The form of the talus in some higher primates: a multivariate study. , 1974, American journal of physical anthropology.

[10]  C. Lovejoy.  Biomechanical Perspectives on the Lower Limb of Early Hominids , 1975 .

[11]  Uniqueness and Diversity in Human Evolution: Morphometric Studies of Australopithecines , 1975 .

[12]  C. Jolly,et al.  Early Hominids of Africa , 1978 .

[13]  R. L. Hay,et al.  Pliocene footprints in the Laetolil Beds at Laetoli, northern Tanzania , 1979, Nature.

[14]  C. Oxnard,et al.  Functional articulation of some hominoid foot bones: implications for the Olduvai (hominid 8) foot. , 1980, American journal of physical anthropology.

[15]  T D White,et al.  Evolutionary Implications of Pliocene Hominid Footprints , 1980, Science.

[16]  E. H. Wickens,et al.  Laetoli Pliocene hominid footprints and bipedalism , 1980, Nature.

[17]  Donald C. Johanson,et al.  Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind , 1981 .

[18]  R. Tuttle.  Evolution of hominid bipedalism and prehensile capabilities , 1981 .

[19]  R. L. Susman,et al.  Electromyography of the gluteal muscles in Hylobates, Pongo and Pan : implications for the evolution of hominid bipedality. , 1981 .

[20]  J T Stern,et al.  Functional Morphology of Homo habilis , 1982, Science.

[21]  W. Jungers.  Lucy's limbs: skeletal allometry and locomotion in Australopithecus afarensis , 1982, Nature.

[22]  C. Lovejoy,et al.  Hominid tarsal, metatarsal, and phalangeal bones recovered from the Hadar Formation: 1974-1977 collections , 1982 .

[23]  C. Lovejoy,et al.  Morphology of the Pliocene partial hominid skeleton (A.L. 288-1) from the Hadar formation, Ethiopia , 1982 .

[24]  M. Feldesman.  Morphometric analysis of the distal humerus of some Cenozoic Catarrhines: the Late Divergence Hypothesis revisited. , 1982, American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

[25]  M. Wolpoff.  Lucy's lower limbs: long enough for Lucy to be fully bipedal? , 1983, Nature.

[26]  M. Wolpoff.  Lucy's little legs , 1983 .

[27]  Christine Tardieu,et al.  L'articulation du genou : analyse morpho-fonctionnelle chez les primates et les hominidés fossiles , 1983 .

[28]  H. Mchenry,et al.  The capitate of Australopithecus afarensis and A. africanus. , 1983, American journal of physical anthropology.

[29]  Jean-François Ponge,et al.  Les caractéristiques du bassin des Australopithèques (A. robustus, A. africanus et A. afarensis) sont-elles liées à une bipédie de type humain ? , 1983 .

[30]  P. Schmid.  Eine Rekonstruktion des Skelettes von A.L. 288-1 (Hadar) und deren Konsequenzen , 1983 .

[31]  William L. Jungers,et al.  Body proportions, skeletal allometry and locomotion in the hadar hominids: a reply to Wolpoff , 1983 .

[32]  Mary W. Marzke,et al.  Joint functions and grips of the Australopithecus afarensis hand, with special reference to the region of the capitate , 1983 .

[33]  J. T. Stern,et al.  The locomotor anatomy of Australopithecus afarensis. , 1983, American journal of physical anthropology.

[34]  The order of man , 1983 .

[35]  Growth of children from a polluted area in relation to lead absorption in teeth , 1983 .

[36]  M. D. Rose,et al.  Food Acquisition and the Evolution of Positional Behaviour: The Case of Bipedalism , 1984 .

[37]  J. T. Stern,et al.  Arboreality and bipedality in the Hadar hominids. , 1984, Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology.

[38]  A new radiological sign in the hips of cerebral palsy patients. , 1984, Clinical radiology.

[39]  Le Centre de gravité , 1984 .

[40]  C. Bergé.  Multivariate analysis of the pelvis for hominids and other extant primates: Implications for the locomotion and systematics of the different species of australopithecines , 1984 .

[41]  C. Oxnard.  The Order of Man: A Biomathematical Anatomy of the Primates , 1985 .

[42]  B. Asfaw.  Proximal femur articulation in Pliocene hominids. , 1985, American journal of physical anthropology.

[43]  F. A. King,et al.  Current perspectives in primate biology , 1986 .

[44]  J. C. Ohman.  The first rib of hominoids. , 1986, American journal of physical anthropology.

[45]  Effects of size and locomotor adaptations on the hominid pelvis: evaluation of australopithecine bipedality with a new multivariate method. , 1986, Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology.

[46]  H. Mchenry,et al.  The first bipeds: a comparison of theA. afarensis and A. africanus postcranium and implications for the evolution of bipedalism , 1986 .

[47]  T. White,et al.  Hominid footprints at Laetoli: facts and interpretations. , 1987, American journal of physical anthropology.

[48]  Tim D. White,et al.  New partial skeleton of Homo habilis from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania , 1987, Nature.

[49]  C. Lovejoy,et al.  Talocrural joint in African hominoids: implications for Australopithecus afarensis. , 1987, American journal of physical anthropology.

[50]  C. Lovejoy.  Evolution of human walking. , 1988, Scientific American.

[51]  Lovejoy Co.  Evolution of Human Walking , 1988 .

[52]  R. L. Susman,et al.  Hominid evolution past, present and future , 1988 .

[53]  S. Ward,et al.  Origin of the hominidae : the record of African large hominoid evolution between 14 my and 4 my , 1988 .

[54]  C. Lovejoy,et al.  The calcaneus of Australopithecus afarensis and its implications for the evolution of bipedality. , 1989, American journal of physical anthropology.

[55]  The capitular joint of the first rib in primates: a re-evaluation of the proposed link to locomotion. , 1990, American journal of physical anthropology.

[56]  C. Lovejoy,et al.  Hallucal tarsometatarsal joint in Australopithecus afarensis. , 1990, American journal of physical anthropology.

[57]  C. Lovejoy,et al.  Metatarsophalangeal joints of Australopithecus afarensis. , 1990, American journal of physical anthropology.

[58]  K. Korey.  Deconstructing reconstruction: the OH 62 humerofemoral index. , 1990, American journal of physical anthropology.

[59]  R. Martin,et al.  Was “Lucy” more human than her “child”? Observations on early hominid postcranial skeletons , 1991 .

[60]  Y. Rak.  Lucy's pelvic anatomy: its role in bipedal gait , 1991 .

[61]  Margaret Rose.  The process of bipedalization in hominids , 1991 .

[62]  J. Hamill,et al.  Predicting the minimal energy costs of human walking. , 1991, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[63]  Y. Deloison.  Articulation cunéométatarsienne de l'hallux considérée comme un des éléments déterminants de la forme de locomotion à partir de son anatomie osseuse. Comparaison entre l'Australopithèque, l'Homme et le Chimpanzé , 1992 .

[64]  Empreintes de pas à Laetoli (Tanzanie). Leur apport à une meilleure connaissance de la locomotion des Hominidés fossiles , 1992 .

[65]  Le centre de gravité du corps et sa trajectoire pendant la marche : évolution de la locomotion des hommes fossiles , 1992 .

[66]  C. F. Spoor.  The comparative morphology and phylogeny of the human bony labyrinth , 1993 .

[67]  E. Vrba,et al.  New discoveries of Australopithecus at Maka in Ethiopia , 1993, Nature.

[68]  R. E. Heinrich,et al.  Hominid radius from the middle Pliocene of Lake Turkana, Kenya. , 1993, American journal of physical anthropology.

[69]  Jack T. Stern,et al.  Electromyographic study of the obturator muscles in non-human primates: implications for interpreting the obturator externus groove of the femur , 1993 .

[70]  L'évolution de la hanche et du pelvis des hominidés : bipédie, parturition, croissance, allométrie , 1993 .

[71]  B. Wood,et al.  Implications of early hominid labyrinthine morphology for evolution of human bipedal locomotion , 1994, Nature.

[72]  J. Thewissen,et al.  Fossil Evidence for the Origin of Aquatic Locomotion in Archaeocete Whales , 1994, Science.

[73]  Ape and hominid limb length , 1994, Nature.

[74]  K. Hunt.  The evolution of human bipedality: ecology and functional morphology , 1994 .

[75]  APE AND HOMINID LIMB LENGTH. REPLIES , 1994 .

[76]  Y. Rak,et al.  The first skull and other new discoveries of Australopithecus afarensis at Hadar, Ethiopia , 1994, Nature.

[77]  L. Shapiro,et al.  Metatarsophalangeal joint function and positional behavior in Australopithecus afarensis. , 1994, American journal of physical anthropology.

[78]  Tim D. White,et al.  Australopithecus ramidus, a new species of early hominid from Aramis, Ethiopia , 1994, Nature.

[79]  T. White.  Ape and hominid limb length , 1994, Nature.

[80]  C. Bergé.  How did the australopithecines walk? A biomechanical study of the hip and thigh of Australopithecus afarensis , 1994 .

[81]  R. Clarke,et al.  Sterkfontein member 2 foot bones of the oldest South African hominid. , 1995, Science.

[82]  M. Abitbol.  Lateral view of Australopithecus afarensis: primitive aspects of bipedal positional behavior in the earliest hominids , 1995 .

[83]  A. Walker,et al.  New four-million-year-old hominid species from Kanapoi and Allia Bay, Kenya , 1995, Nature.

[84]  D. Gebo,et al.  Climbing, brachiation, and terrestrial quadrupedalism: historical precursors of hominid bipedalism. , 1996, American journal of physical anthropology.

[85]  L. MacLatchy.  Another look at the australopithecine hip , 1996 .

[86]  H Preuschoft,et al.  Ontogeny of the knee joint in humans, great apes and fossil hominids: pelvi-femoral relationships during postnatal growth in humans. , 1996, Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology.

[87]  W. Jungers,et al.  Morphometric variation in Plio-Pleistocene hominid distal humeri. , 1996, American journal of physical anthropology.

[88]  A chimpanzee-like tibia from Sterkfontein, South Africa and its implications for the interpretation of bipedalism in Australopithecus africanus , 1996 .

[89]  Evidence for a link between human semicircular canal size and bipedal behaviour , 1996 .

[90]  Todd J. Krochta,et al.  Cortical bone distribution in the femoral neck of hominoids: implications for the locomotion of Australopithecus afarensis. , 1997, American journal of physical anthropology.

[91]  C. Ruff.  Evolution of the Hominid Hip , 1998 .

[92]  C. Tardieu,et al.  Short adolescence in early hominids: infantile and adolescent growth of the human femur. , 1998, American journal of physical anthropology.

[93]  R. Crompton,et al.  The mechanical effectiveness of erect and "bent-hip, bent-knee" bipedal walking in Australopithecus afarensis. , 1998, Journal of human evolution.

[94]  K. Rafferty,et al.  Structural design of the femoral neck in primates. , 1998, Journal of human evolution.

[95]  W. J. Sanders.  Comparative morphometric study of the australopithecine vertebral series Stw-H8/H41. , 1998, Journal of human evolution.

[96]  H. Mchenry,et al.  Body proportions of Australopithecus afarensis and A. africanus and the origin of the genus Homo. , 1998, Journal of human evolution.

[97]  K. Hunt.  Ecological Morphology of Australopithecus afarensis , 1998 .

[98]  John G. Fleagle,et al.  Primate locomotion : recent advances , 1998 .

[99]  Alan Walker,et al.  New specimens and confirmation of an early age for Australopithecus anamensis , 1998, Nature.

[100]  J. T. Stern.  The cost of bent-knee, bent-hip bipedal gait. A reply to Crompton et al. , 1999, Journal of human evolution.

[101]  C. Ruff,et al.  Cross-sectional morphology of the SK 82 and 97 proximal femora. , 1999, American journal of physical anthropology.

[102]  B. Latimer,et al.  Australopithecus garhi: a new species of early hominid from Ethiopia. , 1999, Science.

[103]  P. Kramer,et al.  Modelling the locomotor energetics of extinct hominids. , 1999, The Journal of experimental biology.

[104]  B. Wood,et al.  The human genus. , 1999, Science.

[105]  C. Tardieu,et al.  Ontogeny and phylogeny of femoro-tibial characters in humans and hominid fossils: functional influence and genetic determinism. , 1999, American journal of physical anthropology.

[106]  C. Ward,et al.  South Turkwel: a new pliocene hominid site in Kenya. , 1999, Journal of human evolution.