Natural History Museum human evolution expert awarded Huxley Medal

One of the UK’s foremost experts on human evolution is to receive a prestigious award for his work to understand where our species comes from.

Professor Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Origins at the Natural History Museum, has spent his career investigating Homo sapiens and close relatives to find out how humans spread around the globe.

Much of his work has focused on developing the ‘Out of Africa’ theory, which suggests that the first members of our species evolved in the continent before migrating all over the world.

At the same time, his research has also helped to uncover the earliest known humans in western Europe, reveal more about what happened to the Neanderthals, and even help solve one of history’s greatest hoaxes.

In recognition of his work, he is to become the 120^th recipient of the Huxley Medal, an award given annually by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) to recognise a distinguished scientist in any field of anthropology.

Chris says, ‘It’s a great honour to be in the company of such wonderful previous recipients of the Huxley Medal. The award gives me a chance to thank all the colleagues and collaborators who have contributed so much to whatever success I have managed to achieve.’

Mostly Out of Africa

The Huxley Medal is given in honour of Thomas Henry Huxley, a scientist best known as ‘Darwin’s Bulldog’ for his support of the theory of evolution by natural selection against sceptical Victorian scientists.

First awarded five years after Huxley's death in 1900, the medal has been bestowed by the RAI every year since, except for four years in the 1910s as a result of World War One.

Recipients of the award also deliver the Huxley Memorial Lecture, with Chris set to delve into where our knowledge of human origins stands 35 years after the ‘Out of Africa’ theory first entered the scientific mainstream.

While the theory is still broadly supported, he will discuss how it needs updating to take account of new research. The original ‘Out of Africa’ theory suggested that there was only a single origin of our species, but it’s now possible that several different populations across the continent may have mixed together to eventually give rise to what we now know as Homo sapiens.

It’s also been recognised that our species didn’t just leave Africa once, but multiple times before we finally became established in the rest of the world. During these excursions, early H. sapiens would have bred with the Neanderthals and Denisovans, influencing the development of each of these species.

Chris’s lecture will take place as part of a two-day conference being held in his honour by the RAI at the Natural History Museum on 6 and 7 November 2023. Anyone interested in attending can find out more on the RAI’s website.