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Published in 2019, ‘The Waterside Ape: An Alternative History of Human Evolution’ by OA Dr Peter H Rhys-Evans (H66) explores the evidence indicating strongly that human evolution was intimately associated with watery habitats as much or more than typical savannahs.

In ‘The Waterside Ape,’ Peter Rhys Evans, formerly Chief of Ear, Nose and Throat surgery at The Royal Marsden Hospital and also Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham and the Institute of Cancer Research, asserts his alternative account of evolution using characteristics from the human head and neck, such as skull and sinus structures, the larynx and ear structures and functions. The result is a captivating and thought-provoking theory, challenging the savannah scenario of human evolution, which has relied primarily on fossil evidence.

One of Peter’s long-term supporters is none other than Sir David Attenborough, who has joined Peter on several occasions to discuss his alternative theory, most recently introducing the ‘The Waterside Ape’ book launch in September of 2019.

Similarly, Peter has been invited by Sir David Attenborough to discuss his research on several evolution programmes, including a series for BBC Radio 4 in 2016, and he has been supported by the distinguished natural historian ever since his first publication on  'The Aquatic Ape' theory in 1992. 

Peter has lectured on the subject at both national and international meetings, travelling as far afield as Australia and America to discuss his research. More recently, ‘The Waterside Ape’ has continued to garner significant interest from media outlets such as The Scientist, as well as from The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries in their most recent newsletter.

To find out more and to purchase your own copy of the ‘The Waterside Ape’, please click here.