Lucy Fossil Approved for US Tour

By NATASHA T. METZLER , Associated Press Writer, General Science / Archaeology & Fossils

Fossil remains of Australopithecus afarensi, known as "Lucy," are shown on April 7, 2004, in Addis Ababa, Ethopia. The U.S. State Department gave final approval Wednesday, June 27, 2007, for one of the world\'s most famous fossils, the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy skeleton unearthed in Ethiopia in 1974, to tour the U.S. on exhibit for the first time. The Smithsonian has objected to the idea, however, because museum experts don't think the fragile remains should travel, so Lucy won't be stopping at the National Natural History Museum, but in other U.S. museums instead. (AP Photo/Houston Museum of Natural Science, Dirk Van Tuerenhout, file)

(AP) -- A fossil tour doesn't have to mean an aging rock band's reunion concerts. The State Department gave final approval Wednesday for one of the world's most famous fossils - the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy skeleton unearthed in Ethiopia in 1974 - to tour the U.S. on exhibit for the first time.

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