Did Lucy fall? Or was she pushed?

This title was the headline of an editorial in the Chicago Tribune on September 1, 2016.  The Space Alien read this with more than casual interest, as the the Tribune, citing a new theory on the demise of this reputed ancient ancestor of Homo sapiens, wrote: "The world's oldest cold case file is simmering."  To read this editorial click here.

Is this what happened to Lucy? 

Those wishing to read the abstract of the recent  paper by experts at the University of Texas and published in the prestigious science journal Nature that raised this issue may click here.   The Space Alien is a serious student and believes in going to original sources.

A dissenting view was expressed by experts at Arizona State University who noted that similar injuries have been found in fossils of "pigs, rhinos and horses" that do not normally climb trees.  For more on this, click here.

Which experts are correct?  The Space Alien hates dissension and this is clearly a case of a Texas-Arizona feud that should have been settled on a football field or basketball court like any other important controversy.

Lucy (whose real name was Australopithecus afarensis) was one of the Space Alien's BFFs back in the day.  They once shared walks among simmering volcanoes, cooled off in evening desert breezes, and repaired to the forests for rest among sheltering trees.

The Space Alien often warned Lucy about her appetite for her "special dessert" made from a mash of  berries combined with a little sweet tree sap and left in a hole in a rock until it started to bubble. Lucy  was a wonderful hostess, and dinner guests who arrived sad would cheer up and even start to sing jolly songs after enjoying this "special dessert."

The Space Alien Warned Lucy:
Be Careful!  

The Space Alien, then as now an observant scientist, urged Lucy not to run around barefoot or climb in the trees after eating those special berries, but she laughed off these warnings.  Clearly Lucy was under the influence of this "special dessert" when the accident that so tragically took her life occurred.

Another Lucy and friend

The Space Alien was lonely for a long time, and missed the convivial dinners and "special desserts" as well, but three million years have somewhat softened the pain.

Still, the name "Lucy" is never far from the Space Alien's mind, and another Lucy was one of the Space Alien's faves for years! 
  
Was this love?   You be the judge!