News

The Leakey Foundation announces the 32 recipients of its spring 2026 grants for research into human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival.

How does a body switch sperm production on for one season, then off again? Rebecca DeCamp is a PhD candidate at Rutgers University whose research explores how seasonal changes impact the reproductive cycle.

Mountain gorillas are among our closest living relatives, and they exhibit some surprisingly human-like behaviors. One notable example is that male mountain gorillas often care for and protect infants, even … Continued

A new study shows that Homo erectus populations left a small but detectable genetic legacy in modern human genomes.

Juan Olvido Perea García is taking a closer look at human eyes and asking whether the “whites” of our eyes vary in response to the sun, like our skin does.

Sir David Attenborough has mastered the craft of storytelling, inspiring generations of people to love and care for the natural world. Now, he’s celebrating his 100th birthday and a lifetime of wildlife filmmaking.

New research helps explain how by the end of the Ice Age, dogs were already deeply woven into human life, forging deep bonds that continue to this day.

What does Jane Goodall’s early scientific career look like on paper? Grant reports typed by candlelight. Thank-you notes for $10 donations. Balancing fieldwork with motherhood. Volunteer Alex Wilkins processed The Leakey Foundation’s Jane Goodall archive and came away with a different kind of reverence for her scientific hero.

Biruté Galdikas did not simply study orangutans; she dedicated her life to revealing their behavior and ecology, protecting their future, and ensuring they would never again be forgotten.

Eva Stela Nomenjanahary grew up in Madagascar, one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth. Now a PhD student, she’s recording rare nocturnal lemur calls to understand how they change as habitat becomes fragmented.