- Most known for discovering the first fossilized Proconsul skull
- Found link between apes and early man that lived about 14 million years ago
- Discovered rails of footprints at Laetoli in Tanzania and painstaking recordings of East African cave paintings
- One of the world’s foremost paleoanthropologists of her era
- Made several fossil finds of great importance in the understanding of human evolution
- Her and her husband's discoveries led to scientists believing that early humans began to move from the central region of Africa into Europe and Asia
- Even without attending college traditionally, her self-guided learning and dedication led her to success
- Awards/Honors:
- Earned honorary doctorate by University of Cambridge (1971)
- Gold Medal of Society of Women Geographers
- Linneaus Gold Medal of the Royal Swedish Academy
- The Elizabeth Blackwell Award