What can the latest fossil discoveries tell us about our origins — and why are we the only human species left?
In this conversation, I speak with renowned paleoanthropologist Chris Stringer about some of the greatest mysteries of human evolution. We discuss the remarkable discovery of the million-year-old Yunxian skull from China, why it may push the origins of the Denisovan lineage — and the common ancestry of Denisovans, Neanderthals, and Homo sapiens — much further back in time, and how new fossil discoveries, ancient DNA, and modern analytical techniques are reshaping our understanding of the human family tree.
Chris explores what we know — and what remains deeply mysterious — about Neanderthals, Denisovans, Homo floresiensis, Homo naledi, Homo luzonensis, and other ancient humans. We discuss why Homo sapiens became the only surviving human species, what may have happened to our extinct human relatives, how scientific views of Neanderthals have changed over the past two decades, whether human evolution is still continuing today, and what the future may hold for our species in a changing world.
Chris Stringer is one of the world's leading paleoanthropologists and spent more than five decades studying human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London. After joining the Museum's permanent staff in 1973, he became internationally known for his work on the Recent African Origin, or Out of Africa, model for the evolution of modern humans. He retired from the Museum in 2025 and is now a Scientific Associate. Throughout his career, Chris has collaborated with archaeologists, geneticists, and Earth scientists to reconstruct the evolutionary history of our species. He directed the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project from 2001 to 2013 and is now co-director of the Pathways to Ancient Britain project, which has helped establish the Centre for Human Evolution Research. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to the understanding of human evolution. Chris has published more than 200 scientific papers and several acclaimed books on human evolution, including The Origin of Our Species (Lone Survivors in the US), The Complete World of Human Evolution, African Exodus: The Origins of Modern Humanity (with Robin McKie), Homo Britannicus: The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain, Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story (with Rob Dinnis), and Our Human Story (with Louise Humphrey).
