Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey reflects on her family legacy and on the profound influence of her grandmother, Mary Leakey. She highlights Mary Leakey’s meticulous fieldwork and landmark discoveries at Oldupai Gorge and Laetoli, which proved that human origins lie in Africa. Louise connects those foundations to modern discoveries, showing human evolution as a complex, branching story, emphasizing that much of today’s understanding rests on the standards and insights Mary Leakey established.

Special thanks to Dr. Louise Leakey!

Thank you to our generous sponsors:
Jo Rainie Rodgers and George Rodgers
Kay Harrigan Woods in honor of Gordon Getty
Camilla and George Smith
The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation
The Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund