The tree of life is the most wondrous demonstration of evolution in all its magnificent splendour. Except it’s not a tree at all. Genealogy and family trees are the ties that bind us to our ancestors, descendants and local history. They’re not trees either. And the story of human evolution is our species’ family tree: guess what? Also not a tree. In this talk, Adam Rutherford will take his genetics shears and history axe, and pollard, prune and chop down some of these trees, and plant much better ones. The whole of life on Earth is a tangled bank, and I guarantee that in this talk, you will discover your Royal heritage. Warning: contains a small bit of maths.