Fourth Annual Pitt Rivers Lecture: 2020

The origin of our species

By Professor Chris Stringer (Natural History Museum, London)

The lecture is open to the public and free to attend

Abstract

Over the past decade, new finds in the archaeological and fossil record and the advent of ancient genomes have changed our view of modern human origins.

In this talk I will look at the changing and challenging picture that is now emerging, reviewing evidence from each of these three areas, and the way they are impacting reconstructions of our own evolutionary history.

Biography

Chris Stringer is a Research Leader in Human Origins at the Natural History Museum. His early research was on the relationship of Neanderthals and early modern humans in Europe, but he now collaborates with archaeologists, dating specialists, and geneticists in attempting to reconstruct the evolution of modern humans globally. He directed the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project from 2001 until it finished in 2013 and is now co-director of the follow-up Pathways to Ancient Britain project, as part of funding from the Calleva Foundation, which has contributed to the foundation of a new Centre for Human Evolution Research at the Museum. He has authored/co-authored numerous papers and books on human evolution and is active on Twitter @ChrisStringer65.

The lecture is presented by the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology in association with the Prehistoric Society.