By standing up for themselves between 3 million and 4 million years ago, Lucy and her fellow Australopithecus afarensis caused quite a stir. But bipedalism is just one factor in the rich mix of human evolution, as amply shown in the revised, updated and expanded From Lucy to Language (Simon & Schuster, $65).
Donald Johanson, who discovered Lucy, and his co-writer Blake Edgar have added the big finds since 1996 to their brilliant overview, including the Indonesian 'hobbit' Homo floresiensis. And as this snap of A. afarensis teeth from Ethiopia reveals, the expanded range of photos — many at actual size — remain jaw-droppingly spectacular.
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A big bite of the past. Nature 445, 601 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/445601a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/445601a