The Seahawk

Issue date: 10/16/08 Section: Lifestyles

Media Credit: Jamie Moncrief Dr. Richard Leakey lectured on "Why Our Origins Matter" at Kenan Auditorium Monday Oct. 13.

Dr. Richard Leakey, a world scholar, gave Wilmington a global view on evolution in his lecture, "Why Our Origins Matter." Leakey gave his lecture Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, at Kenan Auditorium. His lecture focused on the evolution of humans from apes and our connections to other species.

When introducing his lecture topic, Leakey commented, "I have had the chance to see people watching apes and looking at the other people and nodding."

The DNA between apes and humans does not lie: We are genetically related. This fact can further be supported with our similar actions and habits matching those of apes. Leakey said for some people, evolution is scary because it proves that we are not completely separate from other species.

"We are a part of nature and not apart from nature," David Sepkoski, assistant history professor and leader of the Evolution Learning Community, said,

The burial of the dead has always been a topic of interest to scientists. They believe that it is related to an early faith in a higher power.

Leakey said, "The early burial of our dead has less to do with faith and more to so with the act of housekeeping."

Leakey believes flowers were not simply put around the shallow graves due to a supposed symbolism, but more to help improve the horrible stench of decaying bodies.

Another factor in our origins is the human ability of speech. Leakey said, "We [humans] seek words to explain phenomenon." However, while this form of communication is unique to humans, "human speech is very imperfect."

Leakey was born into the family of very successful paleoanthropologists, Dr. Louis B. and Mary Leakey. From an early age, Leakey was aware that he did not want to follow in his parent's footsteps. However, when he began to fumble for work, he fell into the area and soon became very successful himself.

Leakey's most extraordinary find was the 1.6 million year old, nearly intact skeleton of the "Turkana Boy," a homo erectus youth found in the eastern shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya. After this find, Leakey began to notice rancor among other paleoanthropologists. Leakey claimed it all became a competition of "whose bone was older than the other."

Leakey soon switched over to politics in Kenya as the leader of the Wildlife Department. He said, "The minute I stopped enjoying it [his work]-I stopped doing it."

Leakey emphasized that we should not look at life as a pyramid, with us on top, but more like a bush, where there are specialized branches with top species.

"Evolution is not over. It is never over-it is a process," Leakey said.

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