Preeminent Paleoanthropologist
Meave Leakey To Lecture At
California Academy Of Sciences

SAN FRANCISCO (May 1999) -- On Friday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m., Bay Area residents will have a rare opportunity to learn about the mysteries of human origins from a member of the most celebrated and accomplished family in the fossil finding profession. In an unusual North American appearance, Dr. Meave Leakey, wife of Dr. Richard Leakey, will discuss her research in a talk entitled "The Search and Discovery of our Earliest Ancestors." The lecture will complement the Academy's blockbuster summer exhibit Missing Links-Alive!, considered the most comprehensive natural exhibit ever created.

"We are simply thrilled to host Dr. Leakey," said Dr. Patrick Kociolek, Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences. "Her research has shed light on some of the most fundamental mysteries of human evolution and she has demonstrated remarkable leadership in a very complex field of study."

Dr. Leakey's research has focused on fossils recovered from the long-term field work in the Turkana basin and includes the evolution of monkeys, apes, carnivores, and mammalian faunas. Dr. Meave Leakey and her husband, Dr. Richard Leakey, served on the Scientific Advisory Board for the creation of Missing Links-Alive! Meave Leakey is currently the Head of the Paleontology Division at the National Museums of Kenya.

Missing Links-Alive! closes September 6, 1999.