Read about the latest human origins discoveries, Leakey Foundation-supported research, and news from the field.
Introducing Our Spring 2020 Grantees
Grants | The Leakey Foundation
The Leakey Foundation is proud to introduce the 31 recipients of our spring 2020 research grants.
Summer Virtual Series Lunch Break Science Launches June 25
Education | Lecture
The Leakey Foundation is excited to announce our summer virtual series Lunch Break Science will be streaming to our Facebook and YouTube pages starting Thursday, June 25 at 11 am PDT.
The Leakey Foundation Stands Against Racism
The Leakey Foundation
Black lives matter. Oppressive racist systems profoundly harm Black people. The Leakey Foundation stands in solidarity with those who seek to end the pain of systemic racism.
Two New Fossil Primate Species Discovered at Gona in Ethiopia
Journal Article
Leakey Foundation grantee Sileshi Semaw from the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), is coauthor of a paper published in the Journal of Human Evolution that describes two newly discovered primate species.
Zaneta Thayer on Discrimination, Stress, and Health
Speaker Series | Video
This month’s featured video is from biological anthropologist Zaneta Thayer of Dartmouth College. Her 2017 talk at the American Museum of Natural History addresses how trauma, poverty, and racial discrimination create health inequalities.
Down Ancient Trails
Education | Lecture
Leakey Foundation grantee Shanti Pappu and her colleagues are hosting free online lectures on archaeology and human evolution. Many of the featured speakers are Leakey Foundation grantees.
Fossil footprints reveal snapshot of group behavior in prehistoric humans
Journal Article
The largest collection of footprints from the human fossil record in Africa is described in Scientific Reports this week. The findings, which further our understanding of human life during the Late Pleistocene period, suggest a division of labor in ancient human communities.
Pardis Sabeti on Evolutionary Forces in Humans and Pathogens
Video
This month’s featured video is Dr. Pardis Sabeti’s talk on “Evolutionary Forces in Humans and Pathogens” from our 2016 Survival Symposium. This symposium focused on evolution and the many challenges facing the survival of our species.
Punishing Selfish Behavior May Be a Universal Human Response
Journal Article
New research by Leakey Foundation Scientific Executive Committee Member Joan Silk suggests that humans willingly incur costs to punish selfishness in others, and our societies are likely more cooperative as a result.
Lesson Plans for Online Learning
Education | The Leakey Foundation
As teachers scramble to move courses online during the coronavirus pandemic, The Leakey Foundation understands the urgent need to offer free, high quality educational tools. A challenge of this magnitude requires creative solutions to meet the demand, and that is why the Foundation is focusing on projects that address the critical situation facing educators today.








