'Lucy' on Tour HOUSTON, TX (Associated Press) -

The world's most famous fossil made her U.S. debut this week -- at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

The 3.2 million-year-old skeleton known as Lucy was unveiled during a media preview. The exhibit opens to the public on Friday.

Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia" features more than 150 religious and cultural artifacts.

Lucy is a hominid fossil named after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

The decision to transport Lucy for public exhibit has spurred outrage among some paleonathropologists. Critics say the fragile fossil could be damaged by the travel and a subsequent six-year tour.

Ethiopian government officials hope the exhibit will spark tourism in their country.

The skeleton -- inside a glass case -- is dusted by soft lighting. A nearby mural tells the story of six million years of human evolution.


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For a closer look at 'Lucy' here's a link to the Houston Museum of Natural History www.hmnsmedia.org/lucy/ © Copyright 2012, Associated Press