ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopian scientists unveiled on Wednesday a 3.3 million-year-old fossil of a girl, which they believe is the most complete skeleton ever found.

The fossil including an entire skull, torso, shoulder blade and various limbs was discovered at Dikaka, some 400 kms northeast of the capital Addis Ababa near the Awash river in the Rift Valley.

“The finding is the most complete hominid skeleton ever found in the world,” Zeresenay Alemseged, head of the Paleoanthropological Research Team, told a news conference.

He said the fossil was older than the 3.2 million year old remains of “Lucy” discovered in 1974, and described by scientists as one of the world’s greatest archaeological finds.

“The new bones belong to a three year old girl who lived 3.3 million years ago — 150,000 years before Lucy,” Zeresenay said.

I remember watching the “Lucy” stuff on evolution years ago and it always got my interest. Funny how long some of those skeletons can last…

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