Out of Africa: my lifelong mission to trace the origins of humanity

Chris Stringer, who has just received a CBE for his work on human evolution, tells how his remarkable quest as a young researcher transformed understanding of our species

As with so many other careers, chance played a major role in my pursuit of science. After a childhood in which I displayed a disquieting interest in skulls and stories about Neanderthals, I was - after a challenging stint as a supply teacher in east London in 1966 - about to train as a doctor at London Hospital medical college when I discovered there was actually a university subject called anthropology".

The course included archaeology as well as studies of fossils. My parents were unsure but in the end backed my switch away from medicine. I started a course - at University College London - that included behind-the-scenes visits to London's Natural History Museum.