Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history

Skepticism over evolution: In this 2008 photo provided by the Turkana Basin Institute, paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey discusses the evidence for human evolution over a collection of hominin fossil casts at the Turkana Basin Institute's Ileret research facility in northern Kenya. Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history sometime in the next 15 to 30 years. "If you get to the stage where you can persuade people on the evidence, that it's solid, that we are all African, that color is superficial, that stages of development of culture are all interactive," Leakey says, "then I think we have a chance of a world that will respond better to global challenges." (AP Photo/Turkana Basin Institute, Bob Campbell)Noted paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey says scientific discoveries may soon make the debate over evolution a part of history.

The Kenyan-born scientist serves as a professor at Stony Brook University on New York's Long Island. He just spent a month in New York raising funds for his Turkana Basin Institute. He also helped promote a National Geographic documentary about his work at Turkana Basin in Kenya.

A fundraiser for the institute collected $2 million. His friend Paul Simon was the guest performer.

Leakey says the institute welcomes scientists to Turkana to help unearth the origins of mankind.

He says he has no patience for those who deny the existence of evolution. He insists that within 15 to 30 years, skeptics will have to concede the evidence is overwhelming.