Famous fossil Lucy scanned at the University of Texas...(portant questions ranging from whether s...)

This ancient hominin, whom Ethiopians call "Dinkenesh" ("You are beautiful"), is the feature attraction in the exhibit, "Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia," which is touring the United States. More than a quarter million people viewed the fossil at Houston Museum of Natural Science during 2007 and 2008. After the brief layover in Austin for the scan, Lucy moved to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle where she is on exhibit through March.

Kappelman said the university's scanning project represents a model for future collaborations between public educational programs and scientific research.

"There is an understandable tension between museum curators, who like to display fossils, and scientists who want to conduct research on the specimens," Kappelman said. "Our project demonstrates these goals are not mutually exclusivebut mutually beneficial. The museum exhibit that features Lucy offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to introduce millions of people to the actual evidence for human evolution, and seeing the real fossil is so much more meaningful than viewing a plastic replica."

"Having Lucy here also means that scientists can conduct research that asks new questions about the fossil and this knowledge feeds back into the ongoing exhibit and continues to educate," Kappelman said. "Lucy may be old, but she still has lots of new secrets to tell."

'/>"/>