Louise Leakey facts for kids

Princess Louise de Merode (born Louise Leakey on March 21, 1972) is a scientist from Kenya. She is a paleontologist, which means she studies ancient life, especially fossils. She also works as an anthropologist, studying human history and culture. Louise de Merode travels to Eastern Africa to find and study human fossils.

Early Life and Education

Louise Leakey was born in Nairobi, Kenya. Her parents are famous scientists. Her father, Richard Leakey, was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist (someone who studies ancient humans), a conservationist (who protects nature), and a politician. Her mother, Meave Leakey, is also a British paleoanthropologist. Louise was born in 1972, the same year her grandfather, Louis Leakey, who was also a paleoanthropologist, passed away.

Louise started finding fossils when she was very young. In 1977, at just five years old, she found a hominoid fossil. This made her the youngest person known to find such an important fossil.

Schooling and University

Louise went to the United World College of the Atlantic for her high school studies. There, she earned her International Baccalaureate diploma. Later, she studied at the University of Bristol, where she got a Bachelor of Science degree in geology and biology. Geology is the study of Earth's rocks and soil, and biology is the study of living things. In 2001, she earned her PhD from University College, London. A PhD is the highest university degree you can get.

Career in Paleontology

In 1993, Louise Leakey started working with her mother. They became co-leaders of scientific trips to find fossils in northern Kenya. These trips are called paleontological expeditions.

Koobi Fora Research Project

The Koobi Fora research project is a very important program. It has led to many major discoveries of ancient human fossils over the last 20 years. One of the most recent and famous finds was Kenyanthropus platyops, a type of ancient human.

Digital Fossils Project

Louise Leakey has also worked on a special project to make fossils easier to study. She helped create a virtual laboratory called African Fossils. In this online lab, you can download digital models of fossil collections. You can even use these models to make 3D printed copies or cut them out of cardboard to put them together. This helps students and scientists around the world learn about these amazing discoveries.

Personal Life

In 2003, Louise Leakey married Prince Emmanuel de Merode. He is a Belgian primatologist, which means he studies primates like monkeys and apes. Because she married a prince, she is now known as princesse de Merode. Louise and Emmanuel have two daughters together.

See also

• List of fossil sites
• List of hominina (hominid) fossils