Media Corrections & Clarifications

Exciting and controversial, Lucy’s Legacy is making news across the nation, and the world. View media coverage of this historic exhibit here.

International Association for the Study of Paleontology: Resolution regarding the transport of hominid fossils beyond the country or origin. (1998) Published in the Journal of Human Evolution (1999, Volume 36, Page 459) Click here to see the full, original article.

(1) Recognizing that hominid fossils are an irreplaceable component of the world heritage, we, the members of the Permanent Council of the International Association for the Study of Human Paleontology, strongly support the use of replicas of hominid fossils, rather than the original hominid fossils, for public display to promote public awareness and understanding of human evolution.

(2) We strongly recommend that original hominid fossils should not be transported beyond the country of origin unless there are compelling scientific reasons which must include the demonstration that the proposed investigations cannot proceed in the foreseeable future in the country of origin.

From Houston Museum of Natural Science President Joel A. Bartsch:

We respect and share with our colleagues the widely-expressed concern for the safety and conservation of the fossil known as Lucy – a concern which extends to every artifact in our care, for every exhibition on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It is important to note that the International Association for the Study of Human Paleontology’s suggestions should not in any way be construed as a formal international agreement or law; it is, however a well-intentioned recommendation that illuminates our collective responsibility to preserve items of world heritage.

Every day, museums around the world safely transport, exhibit and display actual priceless objects and artifacts – including the fossils of hominids such as Lucy. Two notable examples of hominid fossils moved specifically for display purposes include the 1984 exhibition Ancestors: Four Million Years of Humanity at the American Museum of Natural History, which displayed original human fossils from all South Africa and the 2003 exhibit The First Europeans: Treasures from the Hills of Atapuerca, at the same museum.

As a museum, our role is to share authentic parts of our world heritage with everyone. The display of original artifacts is crucial to the educational impact of museum exhibitions. The Houston Museum of Natural Science has a long history of safely handling and displaying priceless and fragile objects. To give just one example, our museum professionals have safely handled the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are among the most fragile objects that have ever been on display anywhere.

The decision to tour the original Lucy fossil as a part of an exhibition on the rich cultural heritage of Ethiopia was made by the Ethiopian government, and The Houston Museum of Natural Science was honored to have been chosen to develop this historic exhibition and its tour.

However, before the Museum agreed to finalize this exhibition, an internationally renowned team of conservators who specialize in human remains and hominid fossils examined Lucy’s condition. They described her condition as “robust” and “hearty” and certified that she was capable of making the trip safely. Lucy is unique and certainly rare, but with the proper, museum-quality care that the Houston Museum of Natural Science has decades of experience providing, she is not too fragile to travel and be displayed for educational purposes.

In addition, a research protocol has been submitted to the Ethiopian government by the University of Texas at Austin. The proposed research would take place at some time during the exhibition’s tour, using the latest CT scanning technology to create digital, 3D images of Lucy’s bones, generating a permanent digital archive of new information about the fossil. This technology is not available in Ethiopia. Currently, the protocol is awaiting approval from the Ethiopian government.

If the research is approved, it will reveal an unprecedented look at Lucy’s internal skeletal structure – giving scientists new insight into how Lucy’s bones were put together, how she used her hands, and how she walked, as well as her skeletal and behavioral relationship to humans.

Lucy is not only part of Ethiopia's cultural heritage, she is also part of world heritage and she deserves to be on the world stage for all to see. As the world’s most well-known fossil, she has the unique capability to serve as a genuine goodwill ambassador for her country while engendering a greater understanding of our own past.