2% Neanderthal: Redrawing Our Family Tree

Palaeoanthropologist, evolutionary biologist, and National Geographic Explorer Ella Al-Shamahi is a Neanderthal specialist with a passion for fossil hunting in Paleolithic caves. A presenter on the BBC’s Our Changing Planet series, Ella was also the presenter and associate producer for BBC Two’s science series Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors and Horizon: Body Clock. She also hosted a National Geographic show Viking Warrior Women where—during filming—she discovered what might be the first evidence of a battle injury on a female Viking warrior. Her debut book, The Handshake (2021), was recognized as a Times (UK) and Sunday Times (UK) Book of the Year. She also performs “nerdy” stand-up internationally and has taken four science comedy shows to the Edinburgh Fringe.