This engaging book tells the story of human evolution, asking if man is indeed the ‘chosen species’ or merely an evolutionary accident. This book is written by world-renowned paleoanthropologists who are co-directors of the excavations at Atapuerca - a World Heritage Site and Europe’s oldest known burial site - where a new human species, homo antecessor, was discovered. It discusses various hypotheses of human evolution, drawing conclusions from verifiable facts and well-founded argument. It offers a compelling narrative written for nonspecialists and students of human evolution and includes over 60 illustrations.