Meave Leakey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Meave Leakey
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Meave Leakey holding the medal of the City of Toulouse
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| Born |
Maeve Epps
28 July 1942 London, England
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| Alma mater | University of North Wales |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2, including Louise Leakey |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paleoanthropology |
| Institutions | Stony Brook University Turkana Basin Institute |
Meave G. Leakey, born Meave Epps on July 28, 1942, is a famous British scientist. She is a palaeoanthropologist, which means she studies ancient human ancestors by looking for their fossils. Dr. Leakey works at Stony Brook University and helps lead research at the Turkana Basin Institute. She has spent many years exploring the Turkana Basin in Africa, looking for clues about our past. Her work has greatly helped us understand how early humans evolved.
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Discovering Ancient Human Relatives
In 1999, Dr. Leakey and her team made an amazing discovery near Lake Turkana in Kenya. They found a 3.5-million-year-old skull and part of a jaw. These fossils were thought to belong to a new branch of the early human family tree.
The Flat-Faced Man
Dr. Leakey named this new discovery Kenyanthropus platyops. This name means "flat-faced man of Kenya." This find was very important because it showed that there were more types of early human relatives living at the same time than scientists previously thought.
Meave Leakey's Life and Work
Meave Leakey was married to Richard Leakey, who was also a famous palaeontologist. They had two daughters, Louise and Samira. Their daughter, Louise Leakey, has followed in her parents' footsteps and also does research on ancient fossils.
Early Studies and Career
Dr. Leakey first studied zoology (the study of animals) and marine zoology at the University of North Wales. Her first connection with the famous Leakey family was when she worked at the Tigoni Primate Research Centre. This center was managed by Louis Leakey, Richard Leakey's father.
She earned her PhD in zoology in 1968. Later, in 2004, she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from University College, London for her work in palaeontology. In the same year, she received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
Current Research and Recognition
Today, Dr. Leakey is a Research Professor for the Turkana Basin Institute, which is connected to Stony Brook University. In 2013, she was chosen as a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences. This was a very special honor because she was the first Kenyan citizen and the first woman from an African country to be elected to this important group. In 2017, she was also elected to the American Philosophical Society.
The Leakey Family's Legacy
The Leakey family is well-known for their important discoveries in palaeontology. Meave Leakey has continued this family tradition, making her own significant contributions to understanding human evolution.
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See also
In Spanish: Meave Leakey para niños
- Meave (Irish name)
- List of fossil sites
- List of hominina (hominid) fossils
