August 2022 Research Highlights
Every month, Leakey Foundation grantees publish research that helps us understand humanity's past, present, and future. We've gathered three open access articles about discoveries funded by our donors.
Human skin stood up to the sun before there were sunscreens and parasols – Nina Jablonski explains why
Human beings evolved under the sun. Sunlight was a constant in people’s lives, warming and guiding them through the days and seasons. Homo sapiens spent the bulk of our prehistory and history outside, mostly naked. Skin was the primary interface between our ancestors’ bodies and the world.
Rare bonobo behavior is photographic gold
Is this bonobo cuddling a pet, or did this mongoose become a meal? Wildlife photographer Christian Zeigler captured this moment during his time in the field with researchers at the LuiKotale Bonobo Project, a Leakey Foundation-supported field site in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The photograph was shortlisted for the British Natural History Museum’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Revelations from 17-million-year-old ape teeth could shed light on human evolution
Some scientists suggest early humans and their ancestors also evolved due to rapid changes in their environment, but the physical evidence to test this idea has been elusive – until now.
Explore Ice Age Mongolia
Join our August 10 virtual tour to be among the first to see the only known stratified Ice Age archaeological site in the Gobi Desert and have the rare opportunity to see unpublished evidence of Mongolia’s first inhabitants.