Mary Leakey
玛丽·利基
Pioneer Paleoanthropologist Who Proved Bipedalism
Biography
Mary Leakey was one of the most significant paleoanthropologists of the 20th century. In 1959, she discovered the Zinjanthropus skull (Paranthropus boisei) at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, reshaping understanding of human evolution. Her most celebrated discovery came in 1978 when she found the 3.6-million-year-old Laetoli footprints, providing definitive evidence that early hominids walked upright. Her meticulous excavation techniques set the standard for paleoanthropological fieldwork.
玛丽·利基是20世纪最重要的古人类学家之一。1959年，她在坦桑尼亚奥杜瓦伊峡谷发现了东非人头骨（鲍氏傍人），重塑了人们对人类进化的认识。她最著名的发现是1978年发掘的距今360万年的莱托利脚印，为早期人类直立行走提供了确凿证据。她严谨细致的发掘技术为该领域树立了标准。
Key Achievements
Discovered Laetoli footprints proving bipedalism (1978)
发现证明直立行走的莱托利脚印（1978年）
Found Zinjanthropus skull at Olduvai Gorge (1959)
在奥杜瓦伊峡谷发现东非人头骨（1959年）
Set standards for paleoanthropological excavation techniques
为古人类学发掘技术树立标准
References & Citations
- Wikipedia: Mary Leakey — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Leakey
- Leakey, M. Disclosing the Past. Doubleday, 1984.
