title: Perimortem fractures in Lucy suggest mortality from fall out of tall tree.
abstract: The Pliocene fossil 'Lucy' (Australopithecus afarensis) was discovered in the Afar region of Ethiopia in 1974 and is among the oldest and most complete fossil hominin skeletons discovered. Here we propose, on the basis of close study of her skeleton, that her cause of death was a vertical deceleration event or impact following a fall from considerable height that produced compressive and hinge (greenstick) fractures in multiple skeletal elements. Impacts that are so severe as to cause concomitant fractures usually also damage internal organs; together, these injuries are hypothesized to have caused her death. Lucy has been at the centre of a vigorous debate about the role, if any, of arboreal locomotion in early human evolution. It is therefore ironic that her death can be attributed to injuries resulting from a fall, probably out of a tall tree, thus offering unusual evidence for the presence of arborealism in this species.
authors: Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.|Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Kappelman
authors: Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors: Richard A
authors: RA
authors: Ketcham
authors: Austin Bone and Joint Clinic, Austin, Texas 78705, USA.
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Pearce
authors: Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors: Lawrence
authors: L
authors: Todd
authors: Department of Radio-Television-Film, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors: Wiley
authors: W
authors: Akins
authors: Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors: Matthew W
authors: MW
authors: Colbert
authors: Paleoanthropology and Paleoenvironment Program, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors: Mulugeta
authors: M
authors: Feseha
authors: Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors: Jessica A
authors: JA
authors: Maisano
authors: Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors: Adrienne
authors: A
authors: Witzel
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000818:Animals; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils; D050723:Fractures, Bone; D015186:Hominidae; D008962:Models, Theoretical