"The Origin of Our Species" - a lecture and book sale by Professor Christopher Stringer

Everyone alive today belongs to the species Homo sapiens (Latin for ‘Wise Man’) and we share certain physical features such as a large brain in a high and rounded skull, a chin on our lower jaw, and a lightly built body compared with our ancient ancestors. But people around the world also come in many different sizes, shapes and colours (regional or ‘racial’ features). So how and where did our shared features and our differences evolve, and how did humans spread to almost every part of the Earth? Chris Stringer will try and answer these questions in his talk.

Professor Stringer's books will be on sale which can be purchased at the venue immediately before and after the event and will be sold by local book retailers, Newham Bookshop.

Chris Stringer was born and grew up in East Ham. He has worked at The Natural History Museum London since 1973, and is now Research Leader in Human Origins and a Fellow of the Royal Society. His early research was on the relationship of Neanderthals and early modern humans in Europe, but through his work on the Recent African Origin theory, he now collaborates with archaeologists, dating specialists and geneticists to reconstruct the evolution of modern humans globally. He has published over 200 scientific papers, and his recent books include Homo britannicus, The Complete World of Human Evolution, and The Origin of Our Species.

The Ideas Olympiad is a free series of events, sponsored by the London Borough of Newham, which will bring high profile and interesting speakers to the borough throughout the summer to talk to residents about their ideas and vision.