Lucy fossil gets jolted upright by Big Man

Partial skeleton suggests ancient roots for humanlike walking

An older guy has sauntered into Lucy’s life, and some researchers believe he stands ready to recast much of what scientists know about the celebrated early hominid and her species.

STAND-UP GUY Discoverers of a partial, 3.6-million-year-old skeleton from Lucy’s species say that it unveils a surprisingly humanlike walking ability, although not everyone agrees.