Photo by: Purwo Kuncoro

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11.03.14

Grantee Spotlight: Nathan Thompson

Grantee Spotlight
Nathan Thompson explaining to a kinematic subject how head motion relates to the semicircular canal organs in the inner ear.   Nathan Thompson, PhD candidate from Stony Brook University, was awarded a Leakey Foundation research grant in spring of 2014 for his project entitled “Kinematics and evolution of upper body stability in hominins.” Humans are unique among our primate relatives… more »
10.02.14

Irven DeVore: 1934-2014

The Leakey Foundation
Irven DeVore. Photo from The Leakey Foundation Archive The world is made less joyful with the recent passing of Dr. Irven DeVore. He passed away on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 from heart failure. Irv joined The Leakey Foundation as a Trustee in 1974 and served until 1978. He became Co-Chair of the Scientific Executive Committee in 1980 and was later honored with the title of SEC Emeritus, joining his colleagues… more »
09.03.14

Extracting Ancient Dental DNA: Just Like Pulling Teeth

Behind the Science, Guest Post, Education
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. Jane Goodall at Gombe, included Flo, Madam Bee, Satan, Hugo, and Getty.… more »
08.15.14

Fossil Friday: Daka Homo erectus

Grantee Spotlight
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 has been the source of many fossil… more »
08.07.14

Happy Birthday, Louis Leakey!

In the News
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 ask me why I devote so much time to seeking out facts about man’s past…the past shows… more »
07.02.14

The Director’s Diary: Spain (part two)

Director's Diary
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 one of the oldest cities in the… more »
06.04.14

Director’s Diary: Spain

Director's Diary
By Sharal Camisa, Executive Director There are few moments more thought-provoking than standing in a dark, damp cave with your arm outstretched, hovering your hand above a red-ochre hand print made over 20,000 years ago, and wondering about the individual who made that impression.  Eighteen passionate paleo-science enthusiasts had such an opportunity during an incredible journey of Northern Spain… more »
05.06.14

Spring 2014 Granting Session

Grants
On April 26, 2014, the Leakey Foundation Board of Trustees and the Scientific Executive Committee met to discuss the recent grantees for the Spring ’14 grant cycle. Below are some statistics from the Spring 2014 Granting Session:
  • There was a total of 111 applications for research grants and Baldwin Fellowships combined.
  • There were 10 Baldwin Fellowship applications.
  • 33 research grant applications
… more »
05.06.14

Annual Fellows Dinner and Auction

The Leakey Foundation
The Leakey Foundation’s Annual Fellows Dinner and Auction was held on Friday, April 25, 2014 at the historic Chateau Carolands in Hillsborough. The event is a way to acknowledge the Foundation’s patrons whose generous support allows us to continue the mission of our organization, which is to increase scientific knowledge and education. The gathering of 80 guests included scientists in the human… more »