"3D Muscle Reconstruction Confirms 3.2 Million-Year-Old Lucy Walked Upright"
Researchers at Cambridge University have digitally reconstructed the missing soft tissue of the Australopithecus afarensis, a hominin that lived over three million years ago, for the first time. The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, reveals that the hominin had powerful leg and pelvic muscles suited to tree-dwelling, but knee muscles that allowed fully erect walking. The research recreated 36 muscles in each leg, most of which were much larger in Lucy and occupied greater space in the legs compared to modern humans.