A worldwide tour of ancient skeletons will be the focus of a free public talk at Bristol University this week [Wednesday 11 February] by Dr Alice Roberts, TV presenter of BBC 2’s Coast and Don’t Die Young.

As an anatomist and osteo-archaeologist at the University, Dr Roberts is a leading expert in extracting anthropological and archaeological information from human-skeletal remains. Having examined ancient skeletons from Bristol to the ends of the Earth, her talk entitled ‘Bones of contention’ will explore some of the most famous and controversial fossils in the world and reveal what we can learn from our ancestors.

During the lecture she will also discuss more recent excavations such as the priory site beneath Bristol Bus Station to historical assemblages such as the Prichard Collection in Bristol’s City Museum and Art Gallery along with some more famous fossils that she examined in the course of filming for the new BBC 2 documentary, Human Journey. These include the 'hobbit' skeleton from Flores in Indonesia, the fossil skulls of Peking Man and the possible human-Neanderthal hybrid from Oase Cave in Romania.

The Monica Jones Memorial lecture entitled ‘Bones of contention’ takes place from 7.30 pm to 9 pm on Wednesday 11 February in the Powell Lecture Theatre, H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, University of Bristol. No booking is required, however entry cannot be guaranteed if the venue is full.