The Leakey Family
The Leakey family was the most dominant family over physical anthropology. Their key discoveries shaped our understanding of human origin, while their enthusiasm for Africa and devotion to the search for early man were contagious, and inspired a whole new generation of researchers to continue where they had left off. Without their groundbreaking efforts, much of the story of how we evolved would still be unknown.
The Leakey family consisted of Louis, his wife Mary, and their three sons, one of which was Richard. Born in Kenya to English parents, Louis Leakey was a self-…