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The
San Francisco Chronicle
October
30, 2008
by Matthew
B. Stannard
A foundation named for one of the nation's best-known anthropologists
will honor one of the nation's best-known primatologists
Friday, kicking off a two-day event exploring how the origins
and nature of humanity can be better understood through the
study of humanity's closest living relatives.
The Leakey Foundation, named for Louis Leakey, the pioneering
explorer of the roots of the human race, will award the $25,000
Leakey Prize to Jane Goodall, whose name for decades has
been synonymous with the study of chimpanzees.
The prize, the nation's most prestigious
award in human evolutionary science, also will go to Japanese
scientist Toshisada Nishida, whose work with chimpanzees
is not as well known in the United States as is Goodall's
but is equally groundbreaking.
"We used to think that making tools was what distinguished us from animals.
And then Jane Goodall back in the '60s showed that chimpanzees use tools, and
at roughly the same time so did Dr. Nishida," said Alexander Harcourt,
professor of anthropology at UC Davis and a member of the foundation's scientific
executive board.
Since her groundbreaking work in Tanzania,
when she observed chimpanzees using twigs to fish for termites,
Goodall has become a rock star of primatology, with revelatory
and sometimes controversial work showing chimpanzees hunting
for meat, maintaining lasting relationships, expressing distinct
personalities and even waging war.
Her work prompted Leakey to proclaim
at the time: "Now
we must redefine tool, redefine man or accept chimpanzees
as humans."
Writing from her native United Kingdom, Goodall recalled
how her career began when Leakey took her on as his assistant
during a fossil-hunting trip in Tanzania in the late 1950s.
"If Dr. Leakey had not taken a chance on a young woman without a university
diploma and no formal training, I might not be where I am today," she
wrote. "It is my hope that this award and the great work of the Leakey
Foundation will bring well-deserved attention to the fragile state of the world,
as well as all those - human and nonhuman - who call this planet home."
Writing from Japan, Nishida called
the prize "the greatest
honor for me in my lifetime" and said he hoped it would
inspire younger researchers.
This is only the sixth Leakey Prize awarded in the foundation's
40 years, and the first time it has gone to primatologists.
The organizers and recipients also
hope to inspire the general public's interest in science
at a time when the quality of U.S. science education is suffering
and basic principles of science, such as evolution, are not
universally accepted.
"I'd be very sad if the event did not have an effect on people's opinions
as to whether evolution takes place or not," Harcourt said. "Chimpanzees
share an awful lot of their DNA with us. For an evolutionist, there is no way
that could happen unless we both evolved from something halfway, if you like,
between a human and a chimpanzee."
Goodall agreed, saying, "Science has taught us so much,
yet we have not always listened.
"It is absolutely critical that we continue the pursuit of science - the
desire for knowledge, for understanding. There is still a great deal to learn.
But we will not solve our problems unless we act wisely in response to what
science tells us."
Goodall and Nishida will discuss their
work at a lecture Friday at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.
On Saturday, the foundation will host a panel of 20 scientists
discussing the topic, "What does it mean to be a primate?"
The Leakey Prize itself will be awarded to Goodall and Nishida
at a sold-out gala at the California Academy of Sciences
Saturday night.
Humans and chimps: Exploring the links
The Leakey Foundation will hold a two-day event exploring
how the origins and nature of humans can be better understood
through the study of their closest living relatives.
The events
A lecture by primatologists Jane Goodall and Toshisada Nishida
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
A panel of scientists discusses: "What does it mean
to be a primate?"
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: California Academy of Sciences. It will also be available
on Webcast.
Online resource
Further information, including purchasing tickets, go to
www.leakeyfoundation.orgor call 415 561-4646.
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