HOUSTON -- In the Ethiopian language, she is called Dinknesh -- a name that means the wonderful, the fabulous, the precious.
But to most of the world, she is known as Lucy, a 3.2-million-year-old fossil whose discovery 33 years ago yielded then-unparalleled insights to the origins of humankind.
Next week, the iconic set of bones will be the star of a much-hyped exhibit that is pitting the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Ethiopian government against the world's scientific community.
Houston museum officials say Lucy must be displayed to offer a glimpse into the history of mankind and a much-needed spotlight on Ethiopia as the cradle of humanity.
But a host of critics, including the world's most influential paleoanthropologists, say it is irresponsible to exhibit a specimen so fragile and valuable. They fear the fossil will be damaged during the exhibit and a projected six-year tour.
Famed fossil hunter Richard Leakey reproached the Houston museum for using Lucy as a "prostitute" to spur ticket sales, extraordinarily high at $20. Noted museums such as The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the American Museum of Natural History in New York refused offers to exhibit Lucy.
Ethiopian immigrants in Houston are urging a boycott of the exhibit, which will run from Aug. 31 to April 20, 2008.
"There is a lot of damage you can't see with the naked eyes, caused just by touching her and handling her," said Yohannes Haile-Selassie, anthropology curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where Lucy was studied for six years after her discovery in 1974, but which has refused to exhibit her.
"I'm just sitting and praying that she comes back safe."
Bringing Lucy to the United States for a museum exhibit also disregards a 1998 UNESCO resolution, signed by scientists from 20 countries, that says such fossils should not be moved outside of the country of origin except for compelling scientific reasons.
"There are two views going around. One is that every conceivable effort to protect Lucy for six years will be done. The other view is that there is no way this fossil is not going to be damaged irreparably," said Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins program, and one of the scientists who objected to putting Lucy on tour.
"If the fossil is going to be packed, unpacked, shipped again for a number of years, it is pretty likely damage will occur."
Houston museum officials had named the Denver Museum of Nature and Science as a possible stop, but spokeswoman Laura Holtman said the museum has not yet decided whether to participate. The Field Museum in Chicago said it was working out the final details for exhibition possibly as late as 2010, said spokeswoman Nancy O'Shea.