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Fossil taken to U.S.

— PHOTO: AP

The framed hominid fossil “Lucy,” in this October 24, 2006 file photo.

ADDIS ABABA (Ethiopia): The 3.2-million-year-old Lucy skeleton was spirited out of Ethiopia with no fanfare for a tour of the United States — a trip that some say is simply too risky for one of the world’s most famous fossils. The fossil embarked on the voyage late on Sunday or early Monday, according to employees at the Ethiopian Natural History Museum in Addis Ababa. Although the departure was expected this month, many were surprised at the way the skeleton’s departure was handled. The fossilised remains were discovered in 1974 in the remote,Afar region in Ethiopia. Lucy is classified as an Australopithecus afarensis, which lived in Africa between 4 million and 3 million years ago, and is the earliest known hominid. — AP

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