Research Report: The function(s) of a long-distance signal: the orangutan long call
Brigitte Spillmann, PhD Candidate
Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich Photo: Mure Wipfli
Brigitte Spillmann was awarded a Leakey Foundation research grant in spring 2010 for her PhD project focusing on the functions of the long call, the long distance signal of the flanged male orangutan.
Long distance signaling in widely dispersed, semi-solitary species is often used to mediate
Extracting Ancient Dental DNA: Just Like Pulling Teeth
by Dr. Anne Stone, Arizona State University Photo: David Bygott BY-NC-SA 2.0
How hard can it be to extract DNA from the teeth of chimpanzees that died only 30 or 40 years ago? These were my initial thoughts when presented with the opportunity to examine the DNA of the most famous chimpanzees in the world. These individuals, studied by Dr.
Fossil Friday: Daka Homo erectus
This week’s Fossil Friday is Specimen BOU-VP-2/66. The Daka Calvaria, a million year old Homo erectus skullcap discovered in 1997 by Leakey Foundation grantee Henry Gilbert, who was a Ph.D candidate at the University of California, Berkeley at the time of the discovery. The fossil was discovered in the Middle Awash region of the Afar Rift in eastern Ethiopia, which
Happy Birthday, Louis Leakey!
Louis Leakey, for whom The Leakey Foundation is named, was born on this day in 1903. To celebrate him and his legacy, we invite you to read on and learn a little more about the jovial man who devoted his life to uncovering our shared past. Louis Leakey showing off a spear at a fundraiser. Los Angeles, 1970.
“People frequently
The Director’s Diary: Spain (part two)
By Sharal Camisa, Executive Director
The Leakey Foundation’s Fellows Tour began in Santander, Spain, one of the richest regions in the world for archeological sites from the Upper Paleolithic period, and continued with a visit to Southern Spain and the rock of Gibraltar.
Our home base for this two-day extension was Malaga. Malaga’s history spans about 2,800 years, making it