And she’s a real rarity — not just in the scientific world, but in the literary world. In another instance that made national headlines, she challenged the trendy notion of “Christian nationalism” and dug into the history of Christianity. Most recently, in a rather incendiary attack published in Scientific American, she went after famous broadcaster David Attenborough. She even derided his support for the “aquatic ape hypothesis.” Roberts characterized this theory as “just too grand and too basic.” She insisted that easy answers will never fully explain the richness of human evolution.
Roberts correctly critiqued that the “aquatic ape hypothesis” flatly reduces the complex evolutionary path of humans. She also made the case that most people think of these theories as full explanations. These accurate descriptions cannot survive harsh light when we recognize the messy reality of evolutionary biology.
Roberts’ burning cross-examination is much more than a scientific cri de coeur. In her most recent book, she further penetrates the complexities of Christianity. This work focuses on a pivotal moment in Christian history: the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, which marked a significant transition for Christianity into a religion of empire. By centering her narrative on individual parishes and local buildings, Roberts sheds light on how Christianity managed to be both centralized and local at the same time.
The book goes through that supposed forced consensus around the Council of Nicaea, mythologizing it, and carefully deconstructing that process. Roberts debunks these myths one by one, helping newcomers to this debate understand the far more complicated history at play. Yet she contends fiercely, the fall of the Roman Empire was not that simple. Instead, like yeast it further evolved and then went on to reshape the church in even more profound ways.
Roberts joyfully remembered when she first found a lamp, that looked totally unremarkable in the ground, in Carlisle. To her surprise, peppering the lamp’s fragile walls was a magnificent violet luster. Her work on this discovery is a case study in her broader approach to history—touching on the importance of everyday artifacts and their stories.
Roberts’s work isn’t afraid to challenge the accepted narrative. She does not shy away from critically interrogating highly revered figures such as saints Columba and Aidan. These saints are mainly remembered for their hermitic lives on remote islands. Roberts makes the compelling case these islands had more links than they get credit for. In that period, traveling sea was much safer than going overland. Her acute observations invite readers to grapple with and resist idealized portraits of religious heroes and their settings.
In the afterword of her book, Roberts really gets deep into the history of bells. She deepens her story illuminating cultural artifacts that have been vital conduits for the sacred in the life of faith throughout history. This wider exploration only deepens her prior probe into how Christianity intersects with daily life and the underlying framework of our communities.
Roberts’s interdisciplinary approach, combining scientific inquiry with historical narrative, challenges readers to think critically about both the natural world and human culture. She has no patience for broad theories such as the “aquatic ape hypothesis.” This serves as a crucial reminder that although theories can provide useful conceptual frameworks, they must be tested thoroughly against real-world evidence and context.