Our bodies are a byproduct of millions of years of evolution. MOTHER-nature, as the most iterative technologist, has orchestrated the female form - from the menstrual cycles to orgasms, from pregnancies to menopause. But, how? Why did our biology evolve to be exactly the way it is today?

Deena Emera, PhD is an evolutionary geneticist, author, educator and senior scientist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. In her latest hit book "A Brief History of the Female Body" she draws on her vast expertise as a biologist, her experience as a mother of four children, and her love of teaching to look far into our evolutionary past, illuminating how and, more importantly, why the female form has transformed over millions of years and its effects on women's health.

Enjoy!

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(0:00) Intro

(01:10) Unexpected benefits of knowing our evolutionary biology

(04:40) Mother-child conflict during and after pregnancy

(15:43) Evolutionary purpose of the menstrual cycle

(18:32) The endometrium as an embryo sensor

(23:42) How studying the endometrium can help cure cancer

(25:22) Female orgasm from the evolutionary perspective

(33:02) Menopause as a rare evolutionary trait

(38:12) Delaying menopause: current state of the art and goals

(42:06) Reproductive choice

(44:16) The dynamic between biological and technological evolution

(47:34) Current tensions between females and males

Links:

Deena's book "A Brief History of the Female Body" - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-History-Female-Body-Evolutionary-ebook/dp/B0BB8SCVDQ

Deena's Boston Globe article "Reproductive choice is at the core of being a female mammal" - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/07/20/opinion/reproductive-choice-is-core-being-female-mammal/

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