Britain's human history revealed:
By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News, Norwich
Eight times humans came to try to live in Britain and on at least seven occasions they failed - beaten back by freezing conditions.
Scientists think they can now write a reasonably comprehensive history of the occupation of these isles.
It stretches from 700,000 years ago and the first known settlers at Pakefield in Suffolk, through to the most recent incomers just 12,000 years or so ago.
The evidence comes from the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain Project.
This five-year undertaking by some of the UK's leading palaeo-experts has reassessed a mass of scientific data and filled in big knowledge gaps with new discoveries.
The project's director, Professor Chris Stringer from London's Natural History Museum, came to the British Association Science Festival to outline some of the key findings.
What has been uncovered has been a tale of struggle: "In human terms, Britain was the edge of the Universe," he said.
Continued at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5317762.stm
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