In the fields of anthropology the fossils of Lucy are the base of many theories – now the theory about her death could be proven with the help of 3D printing.
The skeleton of Lucy, an Australopithecus afarensis, is more than 3.2 million years old and one of the most complete skeletons from that time. Nearly 40% of her bones were found in 1974 and named by the song that ran in the radio while digging – Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by the Beatles.
Using modern computer tomography technology the bones were scanned in march 2009. These datasets were used to generate 3D printable files which were made accessible by the public. Researchers around the world 3D printed the bones and analysed these.
With these 3D printed bones the researchers tested the many theories around Lucy´s death. The cause of the death was unclear till now. The coldest case ever was solved – the fractures of the bones let to the result that Lucy fell from a tree.
3D scanning and 3D printing changes the field of archeology and makes fossils available to researchers around the world.
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