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Meave Leakey

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Meave Leakey (born 1942) is a British paleoanthropologist known for her fieldwork in Kenya's Turkana Basin and contributions to the study of human evolution. She married into the famous Leakey family, becoming the wife of Richard Leakey and continuing the family's legacy of fossil discoveries. In 1999, her team discovered a 3.5-million-year-old skull in Kenya that led to the identification of Kenyanthropus platyops, suggesting greater diversity in early human ancestors than previously recognized. Leakey has held positions at the National Museums of Kenya and continues research into human origins.

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What did Meave Leakey discover at Lomekwi?

Meave Leakey's team found a roughly 3.5-million-year-old hominin skull in Kenya. The specimen became the basis for naming Kenyanthropus platyops in 2001.

Why is Kenyanthropus platyops controversial?

The fossil's flattened face appeared different from Australopithecus afarensis, suggesting greater hominin diversity in the Pliocene. Some researchers argue that distortion of the skull makes a separate genus difficult to justify.

How is Meave Leakey related to the Leakey research family?

She married Richard Leakey, the son of paleoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey. Their daughter Louise Leakey also became a paleoanthropologist and has worked on Kenyan fossil projects.

Where has Meave Leakey conducted most of her fieldwork?

Much of her research has focused on the Turkana Basin in northern Kenya, especially sites west of Lake Turkana. She has been closely associated with the National Museums of Kenya and the Koobi Fora research tradition.