Blog
Turbulent environment set the stage for leaps in human evolution and technology 320,000 years ago
Journal Article, In the News, Behind the Science People thrive all across the globe, at every temperature, altitude and landscape. How did human beings become so successful at adapting to whatever environment we wind up in? Human origins researchers like me are interested in how this quintessential human trait, adaptability, evolved.
Irene Gallego Romero discusses Denisovan DNA in a virtual lecture
Speaker Series Join Leakey Foundation grantee Dr. Gallego Romero for a virtual lecture on her ongoing research in partnership with local researchers in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. She will characterize the legacy of DNA from archaic Denisovans that is present-day Papuan DNA. She will also explore the positioning of Indonesia in the global human genetics landscape.
New study to uncover how climate change and tectonics drove evolution in East Africa
In the News A 17 million-year-old whale fossil discovered in the 1970s is the impetus for new research led by Leakey Foundation grantee Isaiah Nengo. This research project takes a unique approach to uncovering the course of mammalian evolution in East Africa.
Primate Research Fund provides a lifeline for long-term primate studies
Grants, In the News, The Leakey Foundation, Press Release The Leakey Foundation, through its Primate Research Fund, has awarded five emergency grants to help long-term primate research projects keep going despite challenging circumstances.
Lunch Break Science #11: Rachel Bynoe discusses underwater archaeology
Lunch Break Science Have you ever wondered what it’s like to excavate an archaeological site underwater? Grab your lunch and join archaeologist Rachel Bynoe for an exploration of her work uncovering ancient artifacts from a submerged Pleistocene site off Happisburgh, England.
Grantee Spotlight: Jeff Spear
Grantee Spotlight Jeff Spear's research involves traveling back and forth between Airbnbs and museum basements to collect the large samples needed for a study of this kind. Although perhaps not as glamorous as field sites, museums can offer a treasure trove of data and are an essential resource for studying evolution.
Grantee Spotlight: Shasta Webb
Grantee Spotlight Shasta Webb is a 2020 Leakey Foundation grantee whose research focuses on primate flexibility in dynamic environments. Her field work is on hold due to COVID-19 so she is focused on analyzing her large microbiome dataset.
A Leakey Foundation Remembrance of Ann Getty
The Leakey Foundation, Director's Diary It is with immense sadness that we share news of the passing of Ann Getty. She died on Monday, September 14, 2020. She was 79 years old. Ann joined The Leakey Foundation in 1973 as a Fellow with her husband Gordon Getty who later became the Chairman of the Board. Together they helped the Foundation grow to become the world class funding institution and educational outreach organization that it is today.
Your cells look young for their age, compared to a chimp’s
Journal Article While advances in medicine and nutrition in the last 200 years have added years to human lifespans, a new Leakey Foundation-supported study suggests there could be a more ancient explanation for why humans live longer than our closest relatives do.
Prehistoric desert footprints are earliest evidence for Homo sapiens on Arabian Peninsula
Journal Article A team of researchers, including Leakey Foundation grantees, discovered human and other animal footprints embedded on an ancient lake surface in the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia that are around 120,000 years old. These findings represent the earliest evidence for Homo sapiens on the Arabian Peninsula, and demonstrates the importance of Arabia for understanding human prehistory.
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