Yearly Archives: 2025

Scientists reveal stunning new look of humanity’s most famous ancestor Lucy

Three million years after she walked the Earth, the face of Lucy – one of humanity’s most important ancestors – has been brought to life like never before.Thanks to a detailed digital reconstruction led by Brazilian 3D designer and forensic facial reconstruction expert Cicero Moraes, we now have a clearer, more scientifically accurate view of what this iconic early human may have looked like. Moraes described the experience of visualizing Lucy’s face as a powerful reminder of humanity’s long evolutionary journey.”Seeing Lucy’s face is like glimpsing a bridge to the distant past, offering a visual connection to human evolution,” Moraes told The Telegraph.The discovery that changed human historyLucy was first discovered in 1975 in Ethiopia by American paleontologist Donald Johanson. At just over three feet tall, the nearly complete skeleton of this female Australopithecus afarensis fossil shocked the world. Named after the Beatles’ hit song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, she provided clear evidence that our ancestors were walking upright far earlier than previously believed – approximately 3.2 million years ago.Before Lucy’s discovery, many scientists thought that larger brain size came before the development of upright walking. However, Lucy disproved that theory, showing that bipedalism developed long before brain expansion.While many artists and scientists have attempted to recreate Lucy’s appearance over the years, Moraes believes his reconstruction is one of the most realistic yet.Blending science and art to recreate the pastTo create this new version of Lucy’s face, Moraes and his team used digital scans of her skull and incorporated data on soft tissue thickness from modern chimpanzees. These primates have brain sizes similar to that of Australopithecus afarensis, making them ideal models for this project.Moraes also based Lucy’s skin tone, hair texture, and other details on paleoanthropological evidence suggesting that she lived in a hot, dry climate in what is now Ethiopia.The result is a striking face that blends human and ape-like features. She has a flatter face compared to chimpanzees, a less pronounced brow ridge, and a jawline that is more advanced than earlier primates but still distinct from modern humans.”It has a less pronounced brow ridge than in chimpanzees, though still distinct from modern humans,” Moraes explained, noting that while the reconstruction faced some limitations due to incomplete cranial fragments, it provides an accurate visual interpretation based on current knowledge.Moraes also shared that Lucy’s physical build reflected a life both on the ground and in the trees. Her upper body was well-suited for climbing, while her lower limbs showed clear adaptations for walking upright.”The reconstruction, blending science and art, allows us to imagine what she might have looked like 3.2 million years ago, enriching both public and scientific understanding of our ancestors,” Moraes said. “It’s a reflection of technological progress that makes an extinct being tangible.”A pioneer in bringing history to lifeCicero Moraes has worked on numerous historical reconstructions, creating digital faces for figures ranging from King Tutankhamun to a historically inspired version of Santa Claus. But the recreation of Lucy’s face holds special significance.This project not only brings humanity face-to-face with its evolutionary past but also reminds us of how much there is still to learn about our origins.Lucy’s new digital image stands as both a scientific achievement and a tribute to the enduring curiosity that drives researchers to uncover the stories of those who came before us.

From Bethesda Magazine: Science-inspired glass art

Nothing is off-limits to Jane Hartman, a scientist with multiple degrees and a stylized art business who creates glass renderings of E. coli bacteria, trilobites and more.

“I once made a tapeworm Christmas tree ornament,” the Rockville resident says. “Tapeworms are gross, but if you make it pretty colors, people say, ‘Oh, what’s that?’”

Jane Hartman holds a fused glass rendering of Staphylococcus (bacteria) that she made. She also crafted her earrings, which depict coronavirus. Photo credit: Lindsey Max

Through Trilobite Glassworks, her part-time business, Hartman, 67, designs fused and stained glass items that are both eye-catching and scientifically accurate. Her company’s name is a nod to her master’s degree in paleontology, in honor of the extinct creature called the trilobite. Whether it’s a tiny plate featuring the bacteria that causes gonorrhea, glass earrings displaying Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, or a norovirus fused-glass refrigerator magnet, the widowed mother of three adult children finesses the glass to bring Mother Nature’s beauty to life. 

“She clearly has this amazing intersection of art and science that she does so well,” says customer Krista Wigginton, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Michigan. “She understands the science, but she also makes beautiful art.” 

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For the past seven years, Wigginton has commissioned decorative plates from Hartman as a gift for each of her students when they defend their doctoral thesis. Glass renderings of viruses and double-stranded DNA genomes memorialize the students’ efforts. 

“We reach out to her when we have a defense coming up, and she’ll ask for two or three papers from the student to get an idea of the topic,” Wigginton says. “What’s clear is that she knows the science.”

In addition to her master’s degree in paleontology from the University of Wyoming, Hartman holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Michigan. After college, she married, started a family, and created glassware as a hobby. 

Hartman works out of a studio in the basement of her home, which contains soldering irons, two kilns, hundreds of sheets of glass, and about 100 jars of colorful crushed glass. When she started marketing her products in the early 2000s, Hartman crafted more traditional glass pieces, such as stained glass windows and suncatchers, in hopes of attracting a broader audience. When she named her business Trilobite Glassworks, it garnered questions from science fans asking if she created trilobites. In 2009, she bowed to the demand she saw for specialized scientific artwork. Hartman started taking commissions, as science-focused customers saw her talent. 

“That’s where I started doing really geeky, really neat stuff because scientists wanted art that depicted what they were researching,” she says. Now she has a constant waiting list.

Hartman’s art is available on her Etsy website, Trilobite Glassworks, and through trilobiteglassworks.weebly.com. Science lovers are drawn to her unique wares in the form of earrings, necklaces, dishes, paperweights or refrigerator magnets. She researches, designs and creates nearly 30 commissions a year, she says, in addition to offering smaller products.

Anne Estes teaches microbiology at Towson University and has been scooping up Hartman’s scientific masterpieces for years. In her classroom, Estes proudly dons necklaces with glass resembling E. coli, cyanobacteria and a bacterial stomach infection called Helicobacter pylori. 

“It was my reward for the first five or six times I taught my microbiology class; at the end of every semester, I allowed myself to buy one piece of Jane’s work,” Estes says. “People will go, ‘Oh, what a neat piece of glass.’ I’ll say, ‘It’s beautiful, but it’s really C. diff, which can kill you.’ ”

Catherine Linnen, from the University of Kentucky’s biology department, commissions bespoke glass pieces for her Ph.D. candidates. 

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“Every piece Jane has done for me has been really special and unique and beautiful,” she says. “The students and postdocs have absolutely loved them, and now it’s a known tradition.” 

Hartman concedes that her uncommon art is an acquired taste. “Non-scientists sometimes are like, ‘Wow, that’s really cool, but you’re weird, Jane,’ ” she says. “That’s funny and that’s OK—I take it as a compliment.” 

This appears in the March/April 2025 issue of  Bethesda Magazine.

From Bethesda Magazine: Science-inspired glass art

Nothing is off-limits to Jane Hartman, a scientist with multiple degrees and a stylized art business who creates glass renderings of E. coli bacteria, trilobites and more.

“I once made a tapeworm Christmas tree ornament,” the Rockville resident says. “Tapeworms are gross, but if you make it pretty colors, people say, ‘Oh, what’s that?’”

Jane Hartman holds a fused glass rendering of Staphylococcus (bacteria) that she made. She also crafted her earrings, which depict coronavirus. Photo credit: Lindsey Max

Through Trilobite Glassworks, her part-time business, Hartman, 67, designs fused and stained glass items that are both eye-catching and scientifically accurate. Her company’s name is a nod to her master’s degree in paleontology, in honor of the extinct creature called the trilobite. Whether it’s a tiny plate featuring the bacteria that causes gonorrhea, glass earrings displaying Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, or a norovirus fused-glass refrigerator magnet, the widowed mother of three adult children finesses the glass to bring Mother Nature’s beauty to life. 

“She clearly has this amazing intersection of art and science that she does so well,” says customer Krista Wigginton, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Michigan. “She understands the science, but she also makes beautiful art.” 

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For the past seven years, Wigginton has commissioned decorative plates from Hartman as a gift for each of her students when they defend their doctoral thesis. Glass renderings of viruses and double-stranded DNA genomes memorialize the students’ efforts. 

“We reach out to her when we have a defense coming up, and she’ll ask for two or three papers from the student to get an idea of the topic,” Wigginton says. “What’s clear is that she knows the science.”

In addition to her master’s degree in paleontology from the University of Wyoming, Hartman holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Michigan. After college, she married, started a family, and created glassware as a hobby. 

Hartman works out of a studio in the basement of her home, which contains soldering irons, two kilns, hundreds of sheets of glass, and about 100 jars of colorful crushed glass. When she started marketing her products in the early 2000s, Hartman crafted more traditional glass pieces, such as stained glass windows and suncatchers, in hopes of attracting a broader audience. When she named her business Trilobite Glassworks, it garnered questions from science fans asking if she created trilobites. In 2009, she bowed to the demand she saw for specialized scientific artwork. Hartman started taking commissions, as science-focused customers saw her talent. 

“That’s where I started doing really geeky, really neat stuff because scientists wanted art that depicted what they were researching,” she says. Now she has a constant waiting list.

Hartman’s art is available on her Etsy website, Trilobite Glassworks, and through trilobiteglassworks.weebly.com. Science lovers are drawn to her unique wares in the form of earrings, necklaces, dishes, paperweights or refrigerator magnets. She researches, designs and creates nearly 30 commissions a year, she says, in addition to offering smaller products.

Anne Estes teaches microbiology at Towson University and has been scooping up Hartman’s scientific masterpieces for years. In her classroom, Estes proudly dons necklaces with glass resembling E. coli, cyanobacteria and a bacterial stomach infection called Helicobacter pylori. 

“It was my reward for the first five or six times I taught my microbiology class; at the end of every semester, I allowed myself to buy one piece of Jane’s work,” Estes says. “People will go, ‘Oh, what a neat piece of glass.’ I’ll say, ‘It’s beautiful, but it’s really C. diff, which can kill you.’ ”

Catherine Linnen, from the University of Kentucky’s biology department, commissions bespoke glass pieces for her Ph.D. candidates. 

– Advertisement –

“Every piece Jane has done for me has been really special and unique and beautiful,” she says. “The students and postdocs have absolutely loved them, and now it’s a known tradition.” 

Hartman concedes that her uncommon art is an acquired taste. “Non-scientists sometimes are like, ‘Wow, that’s really cool, but you’re weird, Jane,’ ” she says. “That’s funny and that’s OK—I take it as a compliment.” 

This appears in the March/April 2025 issue of  Bethesda Magazine.

Researchers and innovators invited to shape Europe’s AI Strategy in Science 

The European Strategy for Artificial intelligence (AI) in Science will accelerate the responsible use of AI. It will help scientists across the EU to adopt AI more easily and enhance research in key areas like climate change, health, clean technologies, and more. The Commission has launched two key consultations, inviting researchers and the research and…