Science Spotlights: Why Do We Walk on Two Legs? Ask a Leaf!

Name: Science Spotlights: Why Do We Walk on Two Legs? Ask a Leaf!
Start: 2025-11-22T14:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-11-22T14:30:00-05:00
Location: Harvard Museum of Natural History

Schedule

Sat Nov 22 2025 at 02:00 pm to 02:30 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Harvard Museum of Natural History | Cambridge, MA

Speaker: Ruth Tweedy, Graduate Student, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Recommended for ages 10 and up. Regular museum admission rates apply. https://tinyurl.com/SciSpotlightsAskALeaf
Meet up-and-coming scientists and learn about questions at the forefront of research today in this series of short talks.
2:00–2:30 pm Why Do We Walk on Two Legs? Ask a Leaf!
Have you ever wondered why people walk on two legs, while monkeys and apes—our closest living relatives—still swing through trees? Harvard scientist Ruth Tweedy thinks the answer might have something to do with where early humans lived. She studies ancient landscapes in eastern Africa by looking at the waxy coatings on leaves—tiny chemical “fingerprints” that plants leave behind in the ground. These fingerprints can last for millions of years and help tell the story of what the world looked like long ago. Join Ruth to uncover how clues from leaves reveal the environments where early humans lived—and why standing tall might have been the smartest way to get around.