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The conversation you were just part of matters a great deal, and we hope this is only the beginning.
The Leakey Foundation has funded research into humanity’s origins, evolution, behavior, and survival since 1968. The potential for human evolutionary science to contribute knowledge to the development of AI is enormous.
About our work
We support a global network of researchers, and we share what they learn. We ask big questions, take risks, and invest early. We give small grants that lead to big discoveries. And we’ve always been powered by people who know this work matters.
Have you heard of Jane Goodall, Robert Sapolsky, and Don Johanson, the scientist who found Lucy? We launched their careers.
From decoding the Neanderthal genome and pioneering new molecular techniques to fossil exploration and long-term field studies of living primates, our grants have been behind many of the most important discoveries in human origins.
There is so much more to discover. We’re glad you’re here.
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We’d love to hear what resonated with you and keep you connected to this research and future gatherings.
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Every donation made through this page will be matched dollar-for-dollar by your host, Gordon Getty. If you’d like to support this science, we’d welcome your partnership.
Dig deeper
The Leakey Foundation’s award-winning Origin Stories podcast explores human evolution one story at a time. These are some episodes we thought you would enjoy.
Sleep and the Moon – Sleep is one of the defining traits of human life. It’s also one of the most mysterious. Dr. Horacio de la Iglesia is a neurobiologist on a quest to understand how patterns of human sleep evolved. His new research reveals an unexpected connection between sleep and the cycles of the moon.
Altruism – Why do humans help others? Even risking our own lives to help save a stranger? This behavior is very different from that of other animals, but most people help others without even thinking twice. This episode features Joan Silk, a leading researcher on prosocial behavior, cooperation, and altruism.
Being Human – Stanford neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky goes into a bar…and talks about why humans are the way we are. This episode was recorded live at a Leakey Foundation event that was part of the Bay Area Science Festival.
Exercise – Learn about the powerful instincts that cause us to avoid exercise even though we know it’s good for us. Dan Lieberman, author of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding, tells the story of how we never evolved to do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health, and helps us think about exercise in a whole new way.
Fatherhood – Did you know that men experience profound hormonal changes when they become fathers? In this episode, the second in a three-part series on family relationships, we explore how our species’ approach to fatherhood may have shaped some of the most important traits that set us apart from other mammals