The Leakey Foundation

2020 Fellows Tour: Origins - Ethiopia
2020-01-02 - 2020-01-19, 2020-01-02 00:00 - 2020-01-19 23:59 (America/Los_Angeles) | Ethiopia
Origins - Ethiopia, January 2-19, 2020
Ethiopia is a land of awe-inspiring physical beauty, extraordinary scientific research, ancient culture, unique traditions, and incredible food and coffee. Home to the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa, Ethiopia is a destination like no other.
This once-in-a-lifetime adventure will take you from the bustling city of Addis Ababa to the extraordinary stone churches of Lalibela, to the remote Afar region and Hadar where Lucy was discovered.
Your journey begins in London with a guided tour of Charles Darwin’s home and the British Natural History Museum. In Addis Ababa, you’ll enjoy luxury accommodations and behind-the-scenes guided tours of several museums. At the National Museum of Ethiopia, you will meet Leakey Foundation grantees and see some of the world’s most important fossils, including Lucy and Selam.

You will visit the Simien Mountains, called the Grand Canyon of Africa, where you will spend a day with Leakey Foundation grantees studying gelada monkeys. You’ll see several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the 17th-century castles of Gondar and the ancient rock-hewn churches of Lalibela.
A highlight of the “Origins-Ethiopia” tour will be the Afar region of the Great Rift Valley, where our human ancestors once lived. There, you will join Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie at his Waranso-Mille Paleontological Project, a recently identified paleontological treasure trove. Then you will journey to nearby Hadar and see the site where the famous fossil Lucy was discovered.
Have questions? Email Sharal Camisa, Executive Director.
Click here to download the itinerary and information packet

Dates – January 2-19, 2020
Cost Per Person
$10,899 if paying by check or wire
$1,699 single supplement paying by check or wire
or
$11,226 if paying by credit card
$1,721 single supplement paying by credit card
Cost Includes

Four flights (in Ethiopia) and private coaches (in London and Ethiopia)
16 hotel nights (in London and Ethiopia)
Airport meet-and-greet with private transfers
Meals as listed in itinerary
A local, English-speaking scholar as our guide; a representative from The Leakey Foundation; a representative from Rothschilds Safaris

Does not include

Airfare to/from London, to/from Ethiopia
Gratuities, incidentals
Travel insurance or visas

Click here to download the itinerary and information packet

The Evolution of the Human Mind - CANCELED
2020-04-01 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | American Museum of Natural History, 56 West 81st St., New York, NY, 10024, United States
NOTICE: After careful consideration, we have decided to cancel this event. It will be rescheduled for a later date.
How did our extraordinary cognitive abilities evolve? Alexandra Rosati, an assistant professor of anthropology and psychology at the University of Michigan, addresses questions like this by studying the cognition of a variety of primates including apes, monkeys, and lemurs. By comparing how different species think, she looks for revealing clues about the origins of our own psychological abilities such as memory and decision-making.
This event is part of the SciCafe series at the American Museum of Natural History. SciCafe is a popular after-hours event that brings together inquisitive minds for an informal evening of drinks and conversation about cutting-edge science topics with experts from the field.
Admission is free! Reserve your space now. Doors open at 6:30 pm, program starts at 7:00 pm.
This talk is co-sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History. Support comes from Ann and Gordon Getty and Camilla and George Smith.

Film Screening: Rise of the Warrior Apes - CANCELED
2020-04-21 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr 94118, San Francisco, CA, 94118, United States
NOTICE: After careful consideration, we have decided to cancel this event. It will be rescheduled for a later date.
Filmed over 23 years, Rise of the Warrior Apes is an award-winning documentary that tells the epic story of an extraordinary troop of chimpanzees in Ngogo, Uganda – featuring four mighty warriors who rule through moral ambiguity, questionable politics, strategic alliances, and destroyed trust. Join director James Reed and primatologist John Mitani for an exclusive San Francisco screening of Rise of the Warrior Apes, followed by a question and answer session.
Content note- This documentary contains scenes of violence and aggression. It may not be suitable for children.

Lunch Break Science #1 • Zarin Machanda Lecture
2020-06-25 11:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | NY
https://youtu.be/aIuR_x5bgGQVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Chimpanzee Communication • Dr. Zarin Machanda • Lunch Break Science (https://youtu.be/aIuR_x5bgGQ)
Take a break from your day and feed your brain with The Leakey Foundation!
Explore the nature of chimpanzee communication and relationships with Leakey Foundation grantee and director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project Zarin Machanda. This short lecture is part of The Leakey Foundation’s weekly video series Lunch Break Science.

About Zarin Machanda
Zarin Machanda (PhD, Harvard University, 2009) is an assistant professor of anthropology at Tufts University and director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project an organization that for the last 30 years has conserved and protected the Kanyawara community of chimpanzees living in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Dr. Machanda’s research revolves around understanding the factors that shape the quality and development of social relationships among wild chimpanzees.
For more about Dr. Machanda’s work check out these resources:
Kibale Chimpanzee Project
Social Relationships Among Wild Chimpanzees w/ Dr. Zarin Machanda
Meet the Chimpanzees of Kanyawara

About Lunch Break Science
Lunch Break Science is a weekly online series featuring short lectures or interviews with Leakey Foundation scientists, followed by Q&A with you, the viewing audience.

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Lunch Break #2 • Lauren Schroeder Grantee Spotlight
2020-07-02 11:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | NY
https://youtu.be/JYWh6jXkGtMVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Lunch Break Science #2 | Lauren Schroeder Grantee Spotlight (https://youtu.be/JYWh6jXkGtM)

Take a break from your day and feed your brain with The Leakey Foundation!
Meet Leakey Foundation grantee Lauren Schroeder and learn what it takes to study the skulls of early humans. This short interview is part of The Leakey Foundation’s weekly video series Lunch Break Science.

About Lauren Schroeder
Hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, Lauren Schroeder (PhD, University of Cape Town) is an assistant professor of biological anthropology at the University of Toronto. She joined University of Toronto after completing a postdoctoral appointment in evolutionary morphology at the University at Buffalo. Her research involves the application of evolutionary quantitative genetics approaches to reconstruct the evolutionary processes underlying the variation in cranial and mandibular hominin fossil remains. She has previously been involved in both the Malapa (Australopithecus sediba) and Rising Star (Homo naledi) projects as part of the research team studying the fossil hominin discoveries from these sites. In addition to her research, Dr. Schroeder is dedicated to efforts related to equity and inclusivity in biological anthropology, specifically the goal of creating amore welcoming and supportive academic space for scholars from racialized and diverse backgrounds. Dr. Schroeder also was awarded a Baldwin Fellowship from The Leakey Foundation.

About Lunch Break Science
Lunch Break Science is a weekly online series featuring short lectures or interviews with Leakey Foundation scientists, followed by Q&A with you, the viewing audience.

Register here to receive a live stream reminder:

Register for Reminders

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*

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Science Through Visual Stories
2020-07-22 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online
The Leakey Foundation invites you to join the second in our series of free science communication webinars with Sara ElShafie, a global change biologist and science communication consultant.
Want to make your science communication even more effective? Engage your audience with powerful images! Join us as we explore how to create aesthetically pleasing and informative visuals for science storytelling using:
– Color and tone
– Effective layout
– Balance of precision and accessibility
This online workshop will help you create better presentations, figures, photographs, footage, and any other visual media you need for your science communication endeavors. “Science Through Visual Stories” will be presented via Zoom and streamed live on our YouTube channel.
Register using the form below. Once you register, you will receive event reminders.

Webinar Registration

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Lunch Break Science #11 | Rachel Bynoe
2020-10-01 11:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Bz4Hnu-TY&feature=youtu.be
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 in this episode of Lunch Break Science.

Watch Lunch Break Science live with The Leakey Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Leakey Foundation Live.

About Lunch Break Science

Lunch Break Science is a live-streamed web series featuring interviews, short talks, and live audience questions about the latest in human evolution research with Leakey Foundation scientists.
This episode of Lunch Break Science is made possible by the generous support of Ann and Gordon Getty and Camilla and George Smith.

Miss an episode of Lunch Break Science?

All past episodes of Lunch Break Science are available to stream on-demand on our YouTube channel and at leakeyfoundation.org/live.

Lunch Break Science #12 | Meg Crofoot and Grace Davis
2020-10-15 11:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://youtu.be/_YHBc_aiRAo
Have you ever wondered what makes a leader? Grab your lunch and join primatologists Meg Crofoot and Grace Davis for an exploration of their work observing leadership and decision making in primate societies in this episode of Lunch Break Science.

Watch Lunch Break Science live with The Leakey Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Leakey Foundation Live.

Lunch Break Science is a live-streamed web series featuring interviews, short talks, and live audience questions about the latest in human evolution research with Leakey Foundation scientists.
This episode of Lunch Break Science is made possible by the generous support of Ann and Gordon Getty and Camilla and George Smith.

Miss an episode of Lunch Break Science? All past episodes of Lunch Break Science are available to stream on-demand on our YouTube channel and at leakeyfoundation.org/live.

Unravelling the Genetic Past and Present of Island Southeast Asia
2020-10-20 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://youtu.be/HqrN7Bbq5_Y
Human evolutionary biologist Irene Gallego Romero discusses the presence of Denisovans DNA in present-day Papuans in this lecture.

Human evolutionary biologist Irene Gallego Romero discusses the presence of Denisovan DNA in present-day Papuans. She also examines the positioning of Indonesia in the global human genetics landscape. This lecture is part of The Leakey Foundation’s Speaker Series on Human Origins.

Watch “Unravelling the Genetic Past and Present of Island Southeast Asia” live with The Leakey Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Leakey Foundation Live.

About The Leakey Foundation’s Speaker Series on Human Origins

The Leakey Foundation’s Speaker Series on Human Origins is a distinguised lecture series. This program has been a key element of the organization’s mission since 1968.
This lecture is made possible by the generous support of Ann and Gordon Getty and Camilla and George Smith.

About The Leakey Foundation

The Leakey Foundation is a non-profit that supports human evolution research and shares discoveries in programs like the Speaker Series on Human Origins. Based in San Francisco, California, The Leakey Foundation is the only U.S. funding organization wholly committed to human origins research and education throughout the world, awarding over one million dollars annually in field and laboratory grants for vital new research and long-term projects.
To support scientific research and programs like those featured in this lecture, you can donate to The Leakey Foundation here! All donations will be doubled by two generous donors.

Lunch Break Science #14 | Christopher Gilbert
2020-11-05 11:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://youtu.be/GPxTNWEfdLQ
Paleoanthropologist Christopher Gilbert discusses his discovery of a new fossil ape in northern India in this episode of Lunch Break Science

Grab your lunch and join paleoanthropologist Christopher Gilbert as he discusses primate evolution and his discovery of a new fossil ape in northern India in this episode of Lunch Break Science.
Watch Lunch Break Science live with The Leakey Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Leakey Foundation Live.

About Lunch Break Science

Lunch Break Science is a live-streamed web series featuring interviews, short talks, and live audience questions about the latest in human evolution research with Leakey Foundation scientists.

This episode of Lunch Break Science is made possible by the generous support of Ann and Gordon Getty and Camilla and George Smith.

About The Leakey Foundation

The Leakey Foundation is a non-profit that supports human evolution research and shares discoveries in programs like Lunch Break Science. Based in San Francisco, California, The Leakey Foundation is the only U.S. funding organization wholly committed to human origins research and education throughout the world, awarding over one million dollars annually in field and laboratory grants for vital new research and long-term projects.

To support scientific research and programs like those featured on Lunch Break Science, you can donate to The Leakey Foundation here! All donations will be doubled by two generous donors.

Miss an episode of Lunch Break Science?

All past episodes of Lunch Break Science are available to stream on-demand on our YouTube channel and at leakeyfoundation.org/live.

Lunch Break Science #16 | Isaiah Nengo
2020-12-03 11:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://youtu.be/dgf1kUJs1cI
Paleoanthropologist Isaiah Nengo discusses ape evolution, plate tectonics, and the Miocene in this episode of Lunch Break Science.
Grab y

Grab your lunch and join paleoanthropologist Isaiah Nengo as he discusses ape evolution, an update from his field site in Naputdet in Kenya, and hear about his new project looking at how plate tectonics and climate shaped the evolution of Miocene animals in this episode of Lunch Break Science.
Watch Lunch Break Science live with The Leakey Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Leakey Foundation Live.
About Lunch Break Science
Lunch Break Science is a live-streamed web series featuring interviews, short talks, and live audience questions about the latest in human evolution research with Leakey Foundation scientists.
This episode of Lunch Break Science is made possible by the generous support of Ann and Gordon Getty and Camilla and George Smith.
About The Leakey Foundation
The Leakey Foundation is a non-profit that supports human evolution research and shares discoveries in programs like Lunch Break Science. Based in San Francisco, California, The Leakey Foundation is the only U.S. funding organization wholly committed to human origins research and education throughout the world, awarding over one million dollars annually in field and laboratory grants for vital new research and long-term projects.
To support scientific research and programs like those featured on Lunch Break Science, you can donate to The Leakey Foundation here! All donations will be doubled by two generous donors.
Miss an episode of Lunch Break Science?
All past episodes of Lunch Break Science are available to stream on-demand on our YouTube channel and at leakeyfoundation.org/live.

Lunch Break Science #17 | Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
2020-12-17 11:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://youtu.be/Qd3FYw56Ng0
Primatologist Eduardo Fernandez-Duque discusses owl monkey pair-bonding and parental care in this episode of Lunch Break Science.

Grab your lunch and join primatologist Eduardo Fernandez-Duque as he discusses male-female relationships, pair bonding, and paternal care in owl monkeys and several other monkey species in this episode of Lunch Break Science.
Watch Lunch Break Science live with The Leakey Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Leakey Foundation Live.
About Lunch Break Science
Lunch Break Science is a live-streamed web series featuring interviews, short talks, and live audience questions about the latest in human evolution research with Leakey Foundation scientists.
This episode of Lunch Break Science is made possible by the generous support of Ann and Gordon Getty and Camilla and George Smith.
About The Leakey Foundation
The Leakey Foundation is a non-profit that supports human evolution research and shares discoveries in programs like Lunch Break Science. Based in San Francisco, California, The Leakey Foundation is the only U.S. funding organization wholly committed to human origins research and education throughout the world, awarding over one million dollars annually in field and laboratory grants for vital new research and long-term projects.
To support scientific research and programs like those featured on Lunch Break Science, you can donate to The Leakey Foundation here! All donations will be doubled by two generous donors.
Miss an episode of Lunch Break Science?
All past episodes of Lunch Break Science are available to stream on-demand on our YouTube channel and at leakeyfoundation.org/live.

Grab your lunch and join primatologist Eduardo Fernandez-Duque as he discusses male-female relationships, pair bonding, and paternal care in owl monkeys and several other monkey species in this episode of Lunch Break Science.
Watch Lunch Break Science live with The Leakey Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Leakey Foundation Live.

About Lunch Break Science

Lunch Break Science is a live-streamed web series featuring interviews, short talks, and live audience questions about the latest in human evolution research with Leakey Foundation scientists.

This episode of Lunch Break Science is made possible by the generous support of Ann and Gordon Getty and Camilla and George Smith.

About The Leakey Foundation

The Leakey Foundation is a non-profit that supports human evolution research and shares discoveries in programs like Lunch Break Science. Based in San Francisco, California, The Leakey Foundation is the only U.S. funding organization wholly committed to human origins research and education throughout the world, awarding over one million dollars annually in field and laboratory grants for vital new research and long-term projects.

To support scientific research and programs like those featured on Lunch Break Science, you can donate to The Leakey Foundation here! All donations will be doubled by two generous donors.

Miss an episode of Lunch Break Science?

All past episodes of Lunch Break Science are available to stream on-demand on our YouTube channel and at leakeyfoundation.org/live.

Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding
2021-01-05 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | NY
Leakey Foundation grantee Daniel Lieberman discusses his latest book, Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding.

If exercise is healthy (so good for you!), why do many people dislike or avoid it? If we are born to walk and run, why do most of us take it easy whenever possible? And how do we make sense of the conflicting, anxiety-inducing information about rest, physical activity, and exercise with which we are bombarded? In this lecture, Daniel Lieberman answers these questions and more.

This event is presented by The Leakey Foundation, the Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Cabot Science Library.

More about Dan Lieberman

Daniel Lieberman is the Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences at Harvard University, a member of The Leakey Foundation’s Scientific Executive Committee, and a pioneering researcher on the evolution of human physical activity. His research is on how and why the human body is the way it is, with particular foci on the origins of bipedalism, how humans became superlative endurance runners, and the evolution of the highly unusual human head.

More about Exercised

In this myth-busting book, Daniel Lieberman tells the story of how we never evolved to exercise—to do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health. Using his own research and experiences throughout the world, Lieberman recounts without jargon how and why humans evolved to walk, run, dig, and do other necessary and rewarding physical activities while avoiding needless exertion. His engaging stories and explanations will revolutionize the way you think about exercising—not to mention sitting, sleeping, sprinting, weight lifting, playing, fighting, walking, jogging, and even dancing.

Exercised is entertaining and enlightening but also constructive. As our increasingly sedentary lifestyles have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diseases such as diabetes, Lieberman audaciously argues that to become more active we need to do more than medicalize and commodify exercise. Drawing on insights from evolutionary biology and anthropology, Lieberman suggests how we can make exercise more enjoyable, rather than shaming and blaming people for avoiding it. He also tackles the question of whether you can exercise too much, even as he explains why exercise can reduce our vulnerability to the diseases most likely to make us sick and kill us.

This lecture was recorded live on January 5, 2021. The recording of the lecture will be available later this month.

Why Care About Hair?
2021-01-12 17:15 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join evolutionary biologists Tina Lasisi and Liz Tapanes to learn why our hair is the way it is.

Over the past months, you may have noticed everyone on your virtual calls getting a bit….well…..shaggy. Have you ever stopped to wonder – why do we have hair? Why is there so much variation? What is its role? Is there any relationship between the hair of a lemur at a zoo and the hair on your head? And are there aspects about our hair that are uniquely human?
Join The Leakey Foundation’s Young Professionals Group for a barber shop talk with two evolutionary biologists and hair enthusiasts, Tina Lasisi and Liz Tapanes. Learn more about hair from a practical perspective, from a social perspective, and from the many overlapping disciplines that have shaped how we think about hair.
Tickets
Tickets to this virtual event are free, so bring your friends!
Donations to The Leakey Foundation are optional and greatly appreciated. Your donation will be matched, so your gift will be doubled! Support science and get cool prizes.

If you give $25 you will receive a 12 oz. bag of delicious Stumptown Hair Bender coffee – provided by our friends at Stumptown Coffee Roasters!
If you give $50 you will receive the Hair Bender coffee AND a mustache face mask.

About the speakers:
Tina Lasisi is a biological anthropologist and PhD Candidate and part of the Jablonski Human Evolution and Diversity Lab and the Shriver Anthropological Genomics Lab at Penn State University. Her research focuses on the evolution of human hair variation.
Elizabeth Tapanes is an evolutionary biologist and PhD Candidate at The George Washington University’s Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology where she is part of the Primate Genomics Lab. Her research focuses on the evolution of hair in non-human primates.
The Leakey Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to increase scientific knowledge, education, and public understanding of human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival.

Why Care About Hair?
2021-01-12 17:15 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join evolutionary biologists Tina Lasisi and Liz Tapanes to learn why our hair is the way it is.

Over the past months, you may have noticed everyone on your virtual calls getting a bit….well…..shaggy. Have you ever stopped to wonder – why do we have hair? Why is there so much variation? What is its role? Is there any relationship between the hair of a lemur at a zoo and the hair on your head? And are there aspects about our hair that are uniquely human?
Presented by The Leakey Foundation’s Evolution Exchange (formerly Young Professionals Group)
About the speakers:
Tina Lasisi is a biological anthropologist and PhD Candidate and part of the Jablonski Human Evolution and Diversity Lab and the Shriver Anthropological Genomics Lab at Penn State University. Her research focuses on the evolution of human hair variation.
Elizabeth Tapanes is an evolutionary biologist and PhD Candidate at The George Washington University’s Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology where she is part of the Primate Genomics Lab. Her research focuses on the evolution of hair in non-human primates.
The Leakey Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to increase scientific knowledge, education, and public understanding of human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival.

Lunch Break Science #18 | Amy Lu
2021-01-21 11:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://youtu.be/CLY6ywvyBf4
Take a break from your day and feed your brain with The Leakey Foundation!

Meet Leakey Foundation grantee Amy Lu and learn about the effect of takeovers on gelada health and fitness. Watch on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Leakey Foundation Live to participate in the Q&A session.
