What a picture can show

+ test your news knowledge with our quiz US Edition - Today's top story: Lucy, discovered 50 years ago in Ethiopia, stood just 3.5 feet tall − but she still towers over our understanding of human origins [View in browser]( US Edition | 5 July 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( A picture can pack a big punch – think of famous images such as 3-year-old John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting his father’s coffin on Nov. 25, 1963. A single image also can convey a surprising amount of information, as we show in our newest format, Picture in 500 Words, which we’re featuring here in this special edition. Here’s one example from the world of science: In 1974, archaeologists in Ethiopia found part of the skeleton of an early human ancestor, which was later dated at 3.2 million years old. Lucy, as this hominin was nicknamed, [upended thinking about human evolution – and a photo shows why](. It depicts 4-year-old Grace Latimer, daughter of a research scientist, standing next to Lucy’s reconstructed skeleton. As Arizona State University anthropologist Denise Su explains, the photo shows that Lucy was no bigger than Grace, with a small brain, but was physiologically adapted to walk on two legs. Lucy “is still the reference point for understanding the anatomy of early human ancestors and the evolution of our own bodies,” Su writes. [[How faith and religion drive the world. Sign up for our weekly newsletter, This Week in Religion.](] Jennifer Weeks Senior Environment + Cities Editor The reconstructed skeleton of Lucy, found in Hadar, Ethiopia, in 1974, and Grace Latimer, then age 4, daughter of a research team member. James St. John/Flickr [Lucy, discovered 50 years ago in Ethiopia, stood just 3.5 feet tall − but she still towers over our understanding of human origins]( Denise Su, Arizona State University A photo of Lucy’s reconstructed skeleton next to a live four-year-old girl shows how human Lucy was – and how small. Protein wave oscillations open a window into living cells. Scott Coyle and Rohith Rajasekaran [Engineering cells to broadcast their behavior can help scientists study their inner workings]( Scott Coyle, University of Wisconsin-Madison Researchers can create ‘single-cell radios’ using bacterial proteins to transmit the invisible activities within cells. A stained-glass window that was part of a church shows a dark-skinned Jesus, which was unusual at the time. Michel M. Raguin [In 1877, a stained-glass window depicted Jesus as Black for the first time − a scholar of visual images unpacks its history and significance]( Virginia Raguin, College of the Holy Cross A stained-glass window, which shows Jesus as a Black man for the first time, tells a story not only of race but of gender, class and ethnicity. [Human brains and fruit fly brains are built similarly – visualizing how helps researchers better understand how both work]( Kristin Scaplen, Bryant University Studying the human brain is difficult because of its vast and intricate network of neural connections. The fruit fly offers a simpler but similar model that researchers can more easily map. [Ancient Rome successfully fought against voter intimidation − a political story told on a coin that resonates today]( David B. Hollander, Iowa State University Fighting for voter access is an inevitable part of any democracy, from ancient Rome to the US today. Roman legislators were able to thwart elite political sway by introducing written ballots. [Can witches fly? A historian unpacks the medieval invention − and skepticism − of the witch on a broomstick]( Michael D. Bailey, Iowa State University The iconic image of a witch on a broomstick has apocryphal origins. But whether they could actually fly didn’t stop Christian society from persecuting them. [Rare access to hammerhead shark embryos reveals secrets of its unique head development]( Gareth J. Fraser, University of Florida Because hammerhead sharks give birth to live young, studying their embryonic development is much more complicated than harvesting some eggs and watching them develop in real time. [Tiny crystals capture millions of years of mountain range history]( Matthew J. Kohn, Boise State University Measuring the concentration of radioactive elements in a single, sand-size crystal reveals the growth of the Himalayan mountain range over time. [Sourdough under the microscope reveals microbes cultivated over generations]( Daniel Veghte, The Ohio State University You can thank yeast and bacteria for the distinctive taste and smell of the oldest leavened bread in history. [Artists created images of Christ that focused not on historical accuracy but on reflecting different communities − a scholar of religious history explains]( Virginia Raguin, College of the Holy Cross Images of Christ often represented prevailing cultural beliefs, allowing onlookers to connect in a deep and meaningful way. [What the statue of a kneeling enslaved man in the Emancipation Memorial of 1876 tells us about its history − an art historian explains]( Virginia Raguin, College of the Holy Cross The image of a kneeling person in chains was first used in a seal commissioned by the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, established by English Quakers in 1787. The Conversation News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation Here’s the first question of [this week’s 4th of July edition:]( What are the opening words of the U.S. Constitution? - A. Four score and seven years ago - B. We the people of the United States - C. When the president does it, that means it is not illegal - D. Hey George, don't make it bad [Test your knowledge]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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