The Leakey Foundation | Speaker Series

Speaker Series

The Leakey Foundation Annual Speaker Series on Human Origins is a lecture series from top scientists in the field of human origins. This program has been the cornerstone of our education and outreach efforts for nearly 50 years. If you are in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, or Houston, check our calendar for the next lecture near you!

Upcoming Events

San Francisco, CA

Atapuerca: Crossroads of Human Evolution in Europe

05.02.18 7:00 pmIn this talk María Martinón-Torres will discuss her work tracing the origins of our closest extinct relatives, the Neanderthals. She will also share how fossils of Homo antecessor, an early human species, found at Atapuerca have shifted our understanding of the ancestry of the first Europeans.

Chicago,

The Origins of the Genus Homo

05.23.18 6:30 pmIn this talk Dr. Bernard Wood will survey the history of attempts to find the earliest members of the genus Homo, including very recent and controversial additions. He will review the complications that arise from defining the genus and discuss how half-a-century of paleontological research has taught him what to look for within the hominin fossil record when searching for the origins of our genus Homo.

New York, NY

Primate Palate: Orangutans, Obesity, and Human Evolution

06.06.18 7:00 pmHow can studying what orangutans eat help us better understand the obesity epidemic in humans? Dr. Erin Vogel shares her research on wild orangutans in the tropical forests of Sumatra and Borneo, illuminating how their diet, behavior, and metabolism can provide insights into the human condition.

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