Juan Luis Arsuaga

(Madrid, 1954)

Scientist, historian, professor and paleoanthropologist. Doctor in Biological Sciences and Professor of Paleontology from the Complutense University of Madrid. He also directs the UCM-ISCIII Center for Human Evolution and Behavior and as a visiting professor, he collaborates with the Department of Anthropology at the University College of London and has given lectures at universities around the world. He co-directs the excavations in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos) and has participated in others such as: Cueva del Conde in Asturias and Pinilla del Valle in Madrid.

It is part of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain, the Museum of Man in Paris, and the International Association for the Study of Human Paleontology. He is vice president of the Human Paleontology and Paleoecology Commission of the INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) and vice president of the Atapuerca Foundation. He has curated several exhibitions: “Atapuerca and human evolution” and “390 ppm Altered planet. Climate changes and Mexico» in Guanajuato (Mexico). He is the author of the script and presenter of “Prehistoric Spain” and “Travel Notebooks”.

He has published articles in prestigious scientific journals in the scientific field such as Nature, Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He has also written essays and popular science books, such as "The Chosen Species", "The Neanderthal Necklace", "The Enigma of the Sphinx", "The Aborigines" and "The Human Saga".