The paperback version of Clive Finlayson’s most recent popular science book was launched yesterday evening at the University of Gibraltar.

“The Improbable Primate”, which is published by Oxford University Press, looks at human evolution and ecology. The book develops a novel approach by studying the ways in which the availability of water shaped the evolutionary fortunes of our ancestors.

The hardback version received positive reviews including the following endorsement from The Economist: “Did water make people human? Mr Finlayson certainly makes a convincing case.”

This is Professor Finlayson’s second popular science work and it was revealed last night that he had just signed up with OUP for a third work set to appear next year.

Speaking at the launch, he said that it had been a “work of passion”. He thanked his wife Geraldine and son Stewart adding that Neanderthal research was a “family affair.”

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: “The Improbable Primate is, I think, only the beginning of what it is you have managed to achieve in changing the attitude people have towards the history of the anthropoids and the human species.”

The book will be on sale in local bookshops, the Gibraltar Museum and the Heritage Trust Shop.