The Leakey Foundation

We're proud to announce the 32 recipients of our spring 2026 grants for research into human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival.

Half of our new grantees are PhD candidates at the beginning of their careers. Their innovative projects explore topics from social learning and complex technologies to the eye microbiome and the physiological impacts of social dominance.

These grants are made possible by our donors. Link in first comment!

How does an animal's body switch s***m production on for a season, then off again? Rebecca DeCamp, a PhD candidate at Rutgers University, is interested in how seasonal environmental changes, like differences in temperature and light, affect reproductive cycles at the molecular level. ⁠
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Their study species is the gray mouse lemur, a small, nocturnal primate native to Madagascar. One thing their research seeks to understand is how the mouse lemurs' s***m production stops during the non-breeding season and ramps up during the breeding season. They also want to learn how this compares to other seasonally breeding mammals. ⁠
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(And why the red light in the first picture? Mouse lemurs are nocturnal, so researchers use red light to minimize disruption.)⁠
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1. Becca, center, with veterinarian Dr. Santatra Randrianarisoa (left) and field assistant Miaro Faliarivola (right) removing a captured mouse lemur from a trap at the Centre ValBio field station, Madagascar. 📸 Rindra Rakotoarivony⁠
2. A wild mouse lemur in Andasibe National Park, Madagascar. 📸 Rebecca DeCamp⁠
3. Becca conducting fieldwork in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. 📸 Rebecca DeCamp

The Baldwin Fellowship supports outstanding students from countries with limited opportunities for advanced education in human origins. This year, we have more high-quality applications than we can fund.

We need $10,000 to close the gap, and a generous sponsor has offered to match every gift dollar-for-dollar. That means we only need to raise $5,000 to reach our goal. Please give if you can. Every donation makes a difference!

Support the Baldwin Fellowship, Double Your Impact The Baldwin Fellowship supports outstanding students from countries with limited opportunities for advanced education in human origins. This year, we received more high-quality applications than we can fund. We need $10,000 to close the gap, and a generous sponsor has offered to match every gift dol...

Can you spot the lemur? Nocturnal lemurs like this pale fork-marked lemur (Phaner pallescens) can be ridiculously difficult to find and study. These small, critically endangered lemurs are active at night and communicate using distinct vocal calls.⁠
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By recording and analyzing their calls, Eva Stela Nomenjanahary aims to understand the different meanings and functions‚ such as keeping in touch with group members, avoiding predators, or attracting mates. She's especially interested in how these calls change in response to human disturbances like habitat loss and climate change. ⁠
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Using passive acoustic monitoring, Eva is developing non-invasive tools that help researchers and conservationists detect species, understand their behavior, and assess the impact of environmental change.⁠
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Eva's PhD research at the University of Colorado Boulder is supported by a Leakey Foundation Baldwin Fellowship. ⁠
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📸 1 +2: Michael A. Alcorn, CC-BY via iNaturalist⁠
📸 3: Guilherme Siniciato Terra Garbino, CC-BY via iNaturalist⁠
📸 4: Eva Stela Nomenjanahary setting a transect line in the New Protected Area, Ambohitr'Antsingy, Montagne des Français, Madagascar. Photo by Miricia Minazara

Did Neanderthals practice dentistry? A new study of a 59,000-year-old molar from Siberia’s Chagyrskaya Cave shows evidence of an ancient invasive dental procedure. "Basically a root canal," says Leakey Foundation grantee John Olsen, an archaeologist at the University of Arizona and a co-author of the paper.

Neanderthal Dentistry, and the Scientist Glad Not to Have Experienced It (Gift Article) The prehistoric hominins “apparently were very adept at what we would consider invasive medicine,” said the anthropologist John Olsen.

Data from Antarctica could help to solve the mystery of why ice ages were so brutal.

Ice core reveals longest-ever continuous record of Earth’s climate

Looking for something interesting to read this weekend? Check out the 11 long-form interviews in our Oral History of Human Origins Research. The collection is full of amazing stories from people who have shaped our understanding of human evolution.

Oral History of Human Origins Research The Oral History of Human Origins Research preserves the personal stories of the people who shape our understanding of human origins.

Meet the "Black Skull" (KNM-WT-17000). This beautiful fossil didn't start off black. Like all living bone, it was originally white. It gained its striking dark color over 2.5 million years by absorbing manganese from Kenya's mineral-rich soil. ⁠
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Alan Walker discovered this specimen in 1985 at the Lomekwi site in West Turkana. It has the largest sagittal crest of any early hominin, a massive ridge on top of the skull that anchored its powerful jaw muscles for chewing.⁠
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The fossil had a mix of features so unusual that researchers initially couldn't decide which species it belonged to. This ultimately led to the naming of an entirely new species, Paranthropus aethiopicus. The Black Skull is the only known adult skull of the species.⁠
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Photo 1 provided by Dr. Carol Ward.⁠
Photo 2 shows the general location where the Black Skull was found. Picture via NASA.

Happy 100th birthday to Sir David Attenborough. Thank you for helping generations explore the natural world with wonder, understanding, and care.

As David Attenborough turns 100, four experts explore his legacy, from science to storytelling Sir David Attenborough has mastered the craft of storytelling, inspiring generations of people to love the natural world.