Juan Luis Arsuaga

Juan Luis Arsuaga Ferreras (Madrid, 1954) is a Spanish paleoanthropologist. He has a doctorate in Biological Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid and a professor of Paleontology at the Faculty of Geological Sciences of this same university. Since July 2013 he has been scientific director of the Museum of Human Evolution of Burgos.

Biography

Son of the Real Madrid soccer player Pedro María Arsuaga (1927-2009), as a child he showed a great interest in Prehistory that arose from reading In Search of Fire (La Guerre du feu), by the French writers J. H. Rosny, and his visits to excavations near Bilbao.

He works as a visiting professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University College of London.

On April 8, 1993, she was on the cover of Nature magazine for the article about the discovery, in 1992, of the most complete human skull in the fossil record of Humanity, skull number 5, belonging to an individual of Homo heidelbergensis.

He is a member of the Research Team of the Pleistocene sites of the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) since 1982, under the direction of Emiliano Aguirre Enríquez and since 1991 co-director together with José María Bermúdez de Castro and Eudald Carbonell Roura of the team who has been awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Scientific and Technical Research in 1997 and the Castilla y León Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities in 1997. In 1999 he founded the Atapuerca Foundation.

In 2002 he was named a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and invited to be part of the international jury of the Rolex Awards for Initiative.

In 2007 he was appointed member of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain.

On July 23, 2008, he was awarded the Antonio de Sancha prize, awarded by the Madrid Publishers Association, for his defense of culture through scientific dissemination.

On April 30, 2010, he was appointed Honoris Causa doctor by the University of Burgos.

The Atapuerca findings have revealed new data about the first humans to inhabit Europe, among which the remains of a new hominin, Homo antecessor, dated to 900,000 years old, stand out.

He is a member of the Museum of Man in Paris, of the International Association for the Study of Human Paleontology, vice president of the Human Paleontology and Paleoecology commission of INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) and has been a lecturer at universities from London, Cambridge, Zurich, Rome, Arizona, Philadelphia, Berkeley, New York, Tel Aviv...

In 2014 he was awarded the UEMC Award for the Public Figure of Castilla y León who best Communicates, for his communicative activity and for the relationship he has maintained with the different media.

In 2014 he was selected by the magazine Quo, in collaboration with the Higher Council of Scientific Research and the Higher Sports Council, for the first "Spanish Selection of Science", composed of thirteen scientists prominent Spaniards on an international scale.

On February 9, 2018 he was appointed doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Zaragoza.

On March 5, 2019, he was appointed president of the Gadea Foundation.

On March 15, 2021, he was accredited by His Majesty the King and Queen of Spain as Honorary Ambassador of the Spain Brand, an initiative of the Forum of Renowned Spanish Brands, in the category of Science and Innovation.

Publications

He has been author and editor of articles in scientific journals and books: Nature, Science, Journal of Human Evolution, Journal of Archaeological Science, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, etc.

Population books and essays

Most of his popular works have been republished several times and can be found in different publishers and formats. The first editions have been reflected here:

• Arsuaga, J. L. and Martínez, I. (1998) The chosen species. Editions Temas de Hoy, Col. Both for Knowledge ISBN 978-84-7880-909-7
• Cervera, J.; Arsuaga, J. L.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Carbonell, E. and Trueba, J. (1998) Atapuerca. A million years of history. Plot Editions and Complutense Editorial ISBN 978-84-7491-629-4
• Arsuaga, J. L. (1999) The Neandertal Necklace. Editions Temas de Hoy, Col. Both for Knowledge ISBN 978-84-7880-793-2
• Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Arsuaga, J. L., Carbonell, E. and Rodríguez, J. (Eds.) (1999) Atapuerca. Our predecessors. Junta de Castilla y León ISBN 978-84-7846-871-3
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2001) The riddle of the sphinx. Plaza & Janés Editores, Col. Areté ISBN 978-84-01-34160-1
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2002) Aboriginal people. RBA Books ISBN 978-84-7901-932-7
• Martínez, I. and Arsuaga, J. L. (2002) Amalur. From atom to mind. Editions Today's Issues ISBN 978-84-8460-191-3
• Arsuaga, J. L.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Carbonell, E. and Trueba, J. (2003) The first Europeans: Treasures of the Sierra de Atapuerca. Junta de Castilla y León ISBN 978-84-9718-143-3
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2004) The World of Atapuerca. Plaza & Janés Editors ISBN 978-84-01-37895-9
• Arsuaga, Juan Luis; Martínez, Ignacio (2004). Atapuerca and human evolution. Photography: Javier Trueba. Barcelona: Fundació Caixa Catalunya. ISBN 84-89860-56-4.
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2006) The human saga. Editorial Edaf ISBN 978-84-414-1821-9
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2008) My first book of prehistory: When the world was a child. Editorial Espasa ISBN 978-84-670-2938-2
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2009) Mr's watch. Darwin. Editions Today's Issues ISBN 978-84-8460-792-2
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2010) Elementary, dear humans. Editions Topics today. Illustrations of Forges
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2012) The first journey of our life. Editions Topics of Today ISBN 978-84-9998180-2
• Arsuaga, J. L. and Martín-Loeches, M. (2013) The indelible seal. Past, present and future of the human being. Editions Debate, 424 pp. ISBN 9788499922485
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2019) Life, the great story: A journey through the maze of evolution. Editions Destination, ISBN 978-8423355747
• Millás, J. J. and Arsuaga, J. L. (2020) Life told by a sapiens to a neandertal. Editorial Alfaguara, ISBN 978-84-204-3965-5
• Millás, J. J. and Arsuaga, J. L. (2022) Death told by a sapiens to a neandertal. Editorial Alfaguara, ISBN 978-84-204-6105-2
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2023) Our body. Editorial Destination. ISBN 978-84-233-6327-8

Multimedia

• Arsuaga, J. L.; Cervera, J. and Trueba, J. (1999) Exploring the World of Atapuerca. Madrid Scientific Films (CD-ROM) ISBN 84-931268-0-2
• Arsuaga, J. L. et al. (2006) Atapuerca, World Heritage: 30 Years of Excavations and Discoveries. Madrid Scientific Films (DVD) ISBN 978-84-931268-1-0

Narrative

• Arsuaga, J. L. (2005) On the other side of the fog. Santillana General Editions, S.A., Col. Total number of letters ISBN 978-84-96463-16-5

Scientific articles

• Arsuaga, J. L.; Martínez, I.; Gracia, A.; Carretero, J. M. and Carbonell, E. (1993) «Three new human skulls from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site in Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain». Nature, 362(6420): 534-537
• Carbonell, E.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Arsuaga, J. L.; Díez, J. C.; Rosas, A.; Cuenca-Bescós, G.; Sala, R.; Mosquera, M. and Rodríguez, X. P. (1995) «Lower Pleistocene hominids and artifacts from Atapuerca-TD6 (Spain)». Science, 269(5225): 826-830
• Fernández-Jalvo, Y.; Díez, J. C., Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Carbonell, E. and Arsuaga, J. L. (1996) "Evidence of early cannibalism". Science, 271(5247): 277-278
• Arsuaga, J. L.; Carretero, J. M.; Lorenzo, C.; Gracia, A.; Martínez, I.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M. and Carbonell, E. (1997) «Size variation in Middle Pleistocene humans». Science, 277(5329): 1086-1088
• Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Arsuaga, J. L.; Carbonell, E.; Rosas, A.; Martínez, I. and Mosquera, M. (1997) «A hominid from the lower Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Spain: possible ancestor to Neandertals and modern humans». Science, 276(5317): 1392-1395
• VV. AA. (1997) "Special issue Sima de los Huesos". Journal of Human Evolution, 33(2-3): 105-421
• Arsuaga, J. L.; Lorenzo, C.; Carretero, J. M.; Gracia, A.; Martínez, I.; García, N.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M. and Carbonell, E. (1999) «A complete human pelvis from the Middle Pleistocene of Spain». Nature, 399(6733): 255-258.
• Bookstein, F.; Schäfer, K.; Prossinger, H.; Seidler, H.; Fieder, M.; Stringer, C.; Weber, G. W.; Arsuaga, J. L.; Slice, D. E.; Rohlf, F. J.; Recheis, W.; Mariam, A. J. and Marcus modern analysis, L. Anat. Rec., 257(6): 217-224
• VV. AA. (1999) Special issue Gran Dolina. Journal of Human Evolution, 37(3-4): 309-700
• Manzi, G.; Gracia, A. and Arsuaga, J. L. (2000) «Cranial discrete traits in the middle pleistocene humans from Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). Does hypostosis represent any increase in "ontogenetic stress" along the Neanderthal lineage?». Journal of Human Evolution, 38(3): 425-446
• Carbonell, E.; Arsuaga, J. L. and Bermúdez de Castro, J. M. (Coords) (2001) Atapuerca. L ́Anthropologie, vol. spec.
• Arsuaga, J. L.; Villaverde, V.; Quam, R.; Gracia, A.; Lorenzo, C.; Martínez, I. and Carretero, J. M. (2002) «The Gravettian occipital bone from the site of Malladetes (Barx, Valencia, Spain)». Journal of Human Evolution, 43(3): 381-393
• Carbonell, E.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Arsuaga, J. LTD; Allue, E.; Bastir, M.; Benito, A.; Cáceres, I.; Canals, T.; Díez, J. C.; Made, J. van der; Mosquera, M.; Ollé, A. Perez-González, A. Rodríguez, J. Proc. Natl. Sci. U S A, 102.(16): 5674-5678
• Daura, J.; Sanz, M.; Up, M. E.; Quam, R.; Fullola, J. M. and Arsuaga, J. L. (2005) «A Neandertal mandible from the Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona, Spain)». Journal of Human Evolution, 49(1): 56-70
• Arsuaga, J. L., Villaverde, V.; Quam, R.; Martínez, I.; Carretero, J. M.; Lorenzo, C. and Gracia, A. (2007) «New Neandertal remains from Cova Negra (Valencia, Spain)». Journal of Human Evolution, 52(1): 31-58

Dissemination articles

• Arsuaga, J. L. (1993) «Les hommes fossiles de la Sierra de Atapuerca», La Recherche, 260
• Arsuaga, J. L.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M. and Carbonell, E. (1994) «La Sierra de Atapuerca. The hominids and their activities». Revista de Arqueología, 159
• Arsuaga, J. L.; Martínez, I.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Rosas, A.; Carbonell, E. and Mosquera, M. (1997) «Homo antecessora species of the lower Pleistocene of Atapuerca." Scientific World, 181: 649
• Arsuaga, J. L. (1997) «Faces from the Past», Archaeology, May/June
• Carbonell, E.; Arsuaga, J. L.; Bermúdez de Castro, J. M.; Cáceres, I.; Díez, J. C.; Fernández-Jalbo, Y.; Mosquera, M.; Rodríguez, J. P.; Rosell, J.; Sala, R. and Vallverdú, J. (1998)Homo antecessor and its natural environment." Scientific World, 192: 42-49
• Arsuaga, J. L. (1999) "A complete pelvis of the Sierra de Atapuerca", Scientific World, 203
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2000) "Hominid Socibiology", Scientific World, 214
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2000) “Europe’s first family”, Discovering Archaeology, November/Dec
• Arsuaga, J. L. and Martínez, I. (2001) "La Sima de los Huesos", National Geographic, June
• Arsuaga, J. L. and Martínez, I. (2001) "The Origin of the Mind". Research and Science, 302: 4-12
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2003). «Requiem for a Heavyweight», Natural History, January: 42-48
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2004). «Atapuerca. Where time rests." National Geographic Special The Origins of Man.
• Arsuaga, J. L. (2004). "The voice of the fossils", National Geographic, History, March