Discovered with many fossils, fiery fighter of the poachderm poaching, he dreamed of a museum of humanity in the Rift Valley. He died on January 2, at the age of 77.
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It was of these characters “Bigger Than Life”, to inspire a Hollywood movie – Angelina Jolie even had the project. Richard Leakey, bush runner, safaris-photos organizer, paleoanthropologist without a degree, multimiraculum of medicine, relentless fighter of poachers killers of elephants, political opponent and Minister Kényan, died, Sunday, January 2, at the age of 77 years.
Born December 19, 1944 in Nairobi, Richard Leakey was literally bottlefolded to fossils. His Father Louis and his Mary Mary are among the largest paleoanthropists of their time, and the intrepid is summoned to “find bones” when it shows too turbulent on their excavations. But the young Richard intends to trace his way. He will first be organizer of Safaris, before atavism caught up. So he goes by London to restore his resume, but puts an end to the experiment before getting the slightest parchment.
What does it matter if it feels snapped by academic researchers, on the ground or since the sky, he does not have his same with his right arm Kamoya Kimeu to find fertile soils in ancient bones. The discoveries of their “hominid gang”, where it would also be necessary to count its second wife Meave and later his daughter Louise, are linked. In Ethiopia, his team finds the oldest homo sapiens of the time (160,000 years). Then he invests the surroundings of Lake Turkana, Kenya, and collects skulls: paranthropus woodei (1969); Homo Rudolfensis (1972); Homo erepectus (1975 and 1978).
Recognition of peers
Here it is soon propelled to the direction of the National Museums of Kenya, bridgehead for the majority of paleontological expeditions in the region. The most prominent discovery may be “Turkana Boy” in 1984 by Kamoya Kimeu, a surprisingly full teenager of 1.6 million years, soon followed by that of Australopithecus or Paranthropus Aethiopicus (2.5 million years).
This palmares is worth the recognition of his peers. “He is the biggest founder of fossils of all time,” said Yves Coppens. “The flag carrier of our discipline”, according to Sonia Harmand, archaeum discoverer of the oldest tools of humanity in Turkana. Others, Tel Martin Pickford (National Museum of Natural History, MNHN), are less likely: he sees Leakey’s hand within five days spent in prison for illegal excavations in 2000 after the discovery, during a Franco mission. -Kenyan led by Brigitte Senut (MNHN), from Orrorin Tuenensis, a fossil of almost 6 million years old.
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