Lucy's keepers have some explaining to do
HOUSTON -- Lucy, the world's most famous human ancestor, will go on public display for the first time in the United States this week amid criticism that her 3.2 million year old bones are too fragile to withstand an 11-city tour.
Lucy's remains were unveiled to reporters during a news conference Tuesday at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Under an undisclosed financial deal with Ethiopia, Houston is the first stop on what is expected to be a six-year tour.
The public will be able to view Lucy beginning Friday.
The exhibition, aimed at drumming up tourism in Ethiopia, has drawn criticism from scientists who say Lucy's bones may suffer damage.
"I definitely think that Lucy should not have been sent to America. … Unique biological specimens and fossils such as Lucy are for science and should be retained in their country of origin," renowned paleontologist Richard Leakey said.
"Nobody will benefit from Lucy's tour apart from American museums, which are exploiting Africa's resources," he said.
Some of the country's most prestigious museums, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and the American Museum of Natural History in New York have refused to host the fossilized remains.
"We share our colleagues' concerns for the safety and security of the fossil," said Joel Bartsch, president of the Houston museum. "Museums are in the business, quite frankly, of lending irreplaceable objects to each other all the time."
Local acceptance of the exhibit has been good, Bartsch said, although one Ethiopian group based in Houston is planning to protest on Friday.
"Protesters are welcome. It's wonderful, they will publicize it for us," Samuel Assefa, Ethiopia's U.S. ambassador said at the news conference. "You know, I think it's evidence of the importance of Lucy that protests take place."
The fossil was named Lucy after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which played during a celebration of the discovery in Ethiopia by U.S. scientist Donald Johanson in 1974. Ethiopians refer to her as "Dinkenesh."
The fossilized remains are considered one of the world's most significant archeological finds. The hominoid skeleton, which is 40 percent complete, was a landmark in the search of for the origins of humanity.
Before agreeing to host the exhibit, the Houston museum sent a team of conservators to Ethiopia to determine whether Lucy's 76-piece skeleton was sturdy enough for travel.
Details of the remainder of the U.S. tour have not been disclosed, but Bartsch said he has been in discussions with over two dozen museums interested in displaying the remains.