Lucy The Australopithecus (about 3.4 MYA)
![Picture](/uploads/2/5/8/6/25868552/739820775.jpg?1390950213)
Lucy's bones were discovered in 1974. But they claim she was alive 3.4 MYA. The 3.2-million-year-old ape "Lucy" was the first Australopithecus afarensis skeleton ever found, though her remains are only about 40 percent complete. With a mixture of ape and human features—including long dangling arms but pelvic, spine, foot, and leg bones suited to walking upright—slender Lucy stood three and a half feet (107 centimeters) tall. Inspired by repeated playings of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" at a celebratory party on the day the specimen was found, researchers gave it the Beatles' mod moniker. Bones later found nearby reveal an apelike head with a low and heavy forehead, widely curving cheekbones, and a jutting jaw—as well as a brain about the size of a chimpanzee's.
Modern Humans (100,000 YA)
![Picture](/uploads/2/5/8/6/25868552/673897323.jpg)
The Modern Human evolved from Homo Sapiens. All people today are classified as Homo sapiens. Our species of humans first began to evolve nearly 200,000 years ago in association with technologies not unlike those of the early Neandertals. It is now clear that early Homo sapiens, or modern humans, did not come after the Neandertals but were their contemporaries. However, it is likely that both modern humans and Neandertals descended from Homo heidelbergensis.Compared to the Neandertals and other late archaic humans, modern humans generally have more delicate skeletons. Their skulls are more rounded and their brow ridges generally protrude much less. They also have relatively high foreheads, smaller faces, and pointed chins.