Who owns the past? How do you read ancient bones? And what do artefacts, pollen and genes from the ice ages tell us about our origins?

Using ever more refined techniques, scientists can now describe ancient landscapes and the early humans and animals once inhabiting them. The Bone Readers examines the facts and myths about the first human arrival in Australia and its region; what modern DNA tells us about the origin of Australian Aborigines; theories on the Indonesian hobbits’; and who or what killed off Australia’s giant marsupials. The findings from Australia and its neighbours are echoed in debates over the mysterious demise of the Neanderthals and shed light on human evolution.

But, as ever, the scientists are divided. The Bone Readers exposes a hidden world of colourful characters and passionate debate and some truly weird ideas.

This book sets the record straight for anyone puzzled by the myriad claims and counterclaims about who did what, when and to whom in Australia’s deep past and explains the science behind the latest techniques in an accessible way. Not shy of controversy, The Bone Readers is bound to stir debate.

This excellent book not only clearly presents the science behind research on human origins, but also the personalities and the politics.‘

Professor Chris Stringer FRS, The Natural History Museum, London