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 is also an anthropologist, someone who studies humans and their history. Louise de Merode travels to Eastern Africa to find and study old human fossils.

Early Life and Education

Louise Leakey was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1972. Her parents are both famous scientists. Her father, Richard Leakey, was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist (a scientist who studies ancient humans). He was also involved in protecting nature and was a politician. Her mother, Meave Leakey, is a British paleoanthropologist.

Louise's grandfather, Louis Leakey, was also a paleoanthropologist. He passed away in the same year she was born.

First Fossil Discovery

Louise became involved in finding fossils very early. In 1977, when she was just five years old, she found a hominoid fossil. Hominoids are a group that includes humans and apes. This made her the youngest person known to find such an important fossil.

School and University

Louise earned her International Baccalaureate from the United World College of the Atlantic. This is a special diploma recognized around the world. She then studied geology and biology at the University of Bristol. Geology is the study of Earth's rocks and history. 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 northern Kenya. These trips were to find and study fossils.

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. This is the name of an ancient human relative.

Digital Fossils Project

Louise Leakey has also worked on a cool project called African Fossils. This project puts digital (computer) models of fossil collections online. It's like a virtual laboratory! Scientists and students can download these models. They can even use a 3D printer to make copies of the fossils. Or, they can cut them out of cardboard and put them together. This makes it easier for people all over the world to study these important finds.

Personal Life

In 2003, Louise Leakey married Prince Emmanuel de Merode. He is a Belgian scientist who studies primates (like monkeys and apes). Because she married a prince, she is now known as princesse de Merode. The couple has two daughters.

See Also

• List of fossil sites (places where fossils are found)
• List of hominina (hominid) fossils (a list of ancient human fossils with pictures)