Ella Al-Shamahi is a paleoanthropologist and archaeologist specializing in Neanderthals. She searches for fossils in caves in disputed, hostile, and unstable territories, and believes that large parts of the planet’s potential contribution to science are overlooked due to instability. She uses comedy as both a coping strategy for the darker side of her work and a way to communicate science and performs science stand-up internationally, including shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.