Lucy, also known as Dignesh, was a fossilized hominin discovered in 1973 in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania that was scientifically identified as the earliest known human ancestor. Dignesh is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago and provided evidence that early hominins walked upright on two legs rather than four, as fingerprints found were determined to have been made by a bipedal gait. The discovery of Dignesh provided key evidence that humans evolved from primates that walked upright.

1. September 12, 2011 What does it mean to be a human being?

2. Objective: Be able to identify the importance of the discovery of “LUCY” Be able to identify where “LUCY” was found Be able to identify what makes “LUCY” human in the eyes of scientists

3. Homework: Short answer question: Was Lucy / Dignesh really a human? Take a stand and say why you think what you think

4. Vocabulary: Human A species that we belong to A type of primate that walks upright Acting according to moral values

5. Olduvai Gorge Located in Africa East side of Africa Tanzania

6. Olduvai Gorge

7. Lucy / Dignesh Found in Olduvai Gorge in 1973 Scientifically the first Human Lived 3.2 Million years ago

8. Why LUCY / Dignesh? The Europeans working on the dig where the fossil was discovered named the fossil Lucy The Africans working on the dig named the fossil Dignesh Dignesh means “You are beautiful” in the local language, called Amharic

9. How do they know Dignesh is that old? Carbon dating A form of Carbon called Carbon14 changes into Nitrogen 14 at a fixed rate The cycle starts when the object dies

10. Why do scientists call Dignesh the first human? Dignesh provides the earliest evidence that a primate walked only on 2 legs This means it had arms and hands to hold things Is this enough of a reason to call Dignesh human? Science says yes

11. Why do scientists think Dignesh walked on two legs? Fossil footprints The foot would not make a mark if the weight was not focused straight down An ape could not have made this mark This print was made in mud that turned to rock

12. HISTORICAL TWEETS! In case you are not familiar with Twitter, it is an online service that allows you send messages to people who subscribe to you. Many celebrities and athletes communicate with their fans in this manner.

13. HISTORICAL TWEETS! The messages are known as tweets. They have a limit of 140 characters – letters, symbols and punctuation marks. For purposes of this assignment, we will take the limit to be 140 letters, not symbols or punctuation.

14. HISTORICAL TWEETS! You may use common text message abbreviations, but remember, they must be readable by your average teacher. (Like me)

15. HISTORICAL TWEETS! What goes in the tweet? What is important! Imagine you are at Olduvai Gorge, and you are sending a Tweet to announce the discovery of Dignesh. What would you write in the tweet?

16. HISTORICAL TWEETS! Who are you? What was discovered? When was it discovered? Where was it discovered? Why is it important?

17. Class work: Write the tweet If you finish you may do a bumpersticker promoting the use of the name Dignesh over Lucy You may also choose to say you prefer Lucy as a name for the fossil

18. Exit Ticket: The tweet will be your exit ticket If you complete the tweet you have demonstrated you know what is important about Dignesh