Podcast appearances and mentions of Kristen Hawkes

Kristen Hawkes' "Grandmother Hypothesis" provides a fascinating perspective on human evolution, menopause, and the unique social structures of humans. This theory posits that the long post-reproductive lifespan of women evolved because grandmothers played a critical role in supporting their descendants. By helping care for grandchildren and providing resources like food, grandmothers enhanced the survival and reproductive success of their families, which indirectly passed on their genes favouring longevity and cooperative behaviour. These contributions are thought to have driven distinct human traits, including increased brain size and social complexity, by encouraging intergenerational support and skill-sharing To view full show notes, more information on our guests, resources mentioned in the episode, discount codes, transcripts, and more, visit https://drmindypelz.com/ep273 Kristen Hawkes PhD MS BA examines foraging and social strategies among hunter-gatherers to shed light on human evolution. Her work includes three projects focused on life history evolution, aging in captive chimpanzees, and understanding fire's effects on foraging payoffs, all informed by ethnographic studies of the Ache in Paraguay and the Hadza in Tanzania. Observations suggest that men's hunting primarily serves status competition rather than provisioning, while grandmothers play a crucial role in supporting their grandchildren, especially when mothers have more children. This aligns with the grandmother hypothesis, which explains human longevity and highlights differences between humans and chimpanzees, such as longer lifespans despite similar fertility rates and a male-biased sex ratio. Mathematical modeling underscores the impact of grandmothering on post-menopausal longevity, shorter birth intervals, and social behavior. Kristen Hawkes continues to collaborate on data collection and analysis to enhance understanding of ancestral foraging strategies and aging in captive chimpanzees. Check out our fasting membership at resetacademy.drmindypelz.com. Please note our medical disclaimer.

Over half a century, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy has challenged many of our myths about parenting, attachment, and "human nature". In this conversation, we dive into her remarkable career, culminating in her new book, Father Time. [You can now order Father Time via Amazon or Princeton Uni Press] We discuss a variety of topics, from hunter-gatherer parenting to the limitations of comparing humans to chimpanzees. We also discuss "allomothers", attachment theory, and the tragedy of infanticide. We finish with a discussion on the remarkable social changes in fatherhood and the neuroscience that has enabled it. As always, we finish with Hrdy's reflections on humanity. Timestamps 04:15 Myths 10:11 Attachment Theory  20:53 Hunter-Gatherers 24:35 Modern Parenting  26:04 Infanticide  34:00 Monkey parenting (in South America) 36:10 Why we share  40:00 Husbands or aunties? 43:10 Father Brains ANNOUNCEMENT I'm writing a book! It is about the history of humans, for readers of all ages. Do you want access to early drafts? Become a member on Patreon.com/OnHumans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LINKS Want to support the show? Checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/OnHumans⁠⁠⁠⁠ Want to read and not just listen? Get the newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠OnHumans.Substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ MENTIONS Terms: allomothers, mobile hunter-gatherers (i.e. immediate return foragers), matrilineal and patrilineal kin Names: Edward O. Wilson, Robert Trivers, John Bowlby, John Watson, Charles Darwin, Mary Ainsworth, Melvin Konner, Barry Hewlett, Nikhil Chaudhary (#34), Nancy Howell, Martin Daly, Margot Wilson, Amanda Reese, Judith Burkart, Carl Von Schaik, Alessandra Cassar, Ivan Jablonka, Kristen Hawkes (#6), Ruth Feldman (#3), Richard Lee

How natural is a sexual division of labour? Very natural, claims a popular theory. Indeed, it was the secret to our success: men evolved to hunt, women to forage. This allowed women to focus on childcare while staying economically productive; after all, one can gather food with children. Men, on the other hand, could focus on high-risk hunting. At the end of the day, everyone could have steak and veggies for dinner. But why exactly do we say this? Is this based on solid evidence? Or are we simply projecting our gender roles onto the human past? A recent piece in Scientific American argued that this theory is outdated and should be "buried for good". As you might imagine, some heated discussion ensued. This is understandable. But I felt that much of the science was lost under the storm. To clean things up, I invited one of the authors, Cara Ocobock, to discuss the paper on the show. I hope this can clarify the argument. It might even clear some of the unnecessary controversy. At the very least, this was a very stimulating discussion! I learned a lot of things, from the remarkable lifestyle of female Neanderthals to how oestrogen helps in muscle recovery.  I hope you enjoy the conversation! If you do, consider becoming a supporter of On Humans on Patreon.com/OnHumans.  ESSAYS AND NEWSLETTER Do you prefer reading to listening? You can now find breakdowns of new conversations from OnHumans.Substack.com. (This conversation's breakdown is now available!) MENTIONS Scholars: Sarah Lacy, Cara Wall-Sheffler, Vivek Venkataraman (ep. 14), Frank Marlow, Kristen Hawkes (ep. 6), Angela Saini, Richard Wrangham (ep. 21) Terms: archaeology, physiology, paleoanthropology, Holocene, Pleistocene, atlatl (spear-thrower), CT scanning, lactation, testosterone, oestrogen  Ethnic groups and places: Martu (Australia), Agta (Philippines) Inuit, Batek (Malaysia), Çatalhöyük (Turkey) Books: Patriarchs (Saini), Why Men (Lindisfarne & Neale), Dawn of Everything (Graeber & Wengrow) For articles and other links, see https://onhumans.substack.com/p/links-for-episode-29 Thank you, as always, for listening!

Humans are odd in many ways. But perhaps the oddest of our features is our upright posture. We walk on two legs. And we are the only mammal to do so.  So why do we walk upright? And why does it matter?  Jeremy DeSilva is a fossil expert and a professor of paleoanthropology at Dartmouth College. He is also the author of a remarkable book, aptly titled First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human [An audio version of First Steps is now offered to you for free from Audible! See links and eligibility below.] DeSilva's treatment of the subject is sweeping: while tracing the journey of human posture, he draws remarkable links between bipedalism and many facets of the human condition from difficult births to complex language and from lower back pains to the beauty of friendships. In this episode, we talk about questions such as: What Darwin got right and wrong about the role of walking in human evolution When and why did we start walking upright? Why the common picture of human evolution is wrong - and what would be a better picture Why walking makes us fragile How our ancestors survived bone fractures - and this is a big deal Why human birth is so difficult Why walking is so good for us: introducing the “myokines” What studying the human journey has taught DeSilva about our species _________ Please consider becoming a supporter of On Humans. Even small monthly donations can make a huge impact on the long-term sustainability of the program. Visit: ⁠Patreon.com/OnHumans ⁠ Get in touch: ilari@onhumans.org _________ Names mentioned Charles Darwin / Ian Tattersall / Donal Johanson / Mary Leakey / Sherwood Washburn / Richard Wrangham (ep 21) / Kristen Hawkes (ep 6) / Holly Dunsworth / Daniel Lieberman  Mentioned hominin species Sahelanthropus / Ardipithecus / Auroren tugenensis / Austrolepithecus (e.g. Lucy) / Homo habilis / Homo erectus / Homo sapiens Read more Check out the books below to dig deeper! You can now get one of them for free as an Audible audiobook.* First Steps by Jeremy DeSilva Ancient Bones by Madelaine Böhme The Improbable Primate by Clive Finlayson To get your free book, set up an Audible account via the following link ⁠https://amzn.to/3qMMshw⁠ You gain one free credit which you can use for a book of your choice. * Offer is not available for current Audible customers.

In this highlight from season 1, Kristen Hawkes presents an intriguing hypothesis about the human past. According to Hawkes, ancient climate changes pushed our ancestors away from the rainforests. On the savannas, teamwork was finally rewarded. For more notes and links, see the original episode 6 (Are Grandmothers the Key to Our Evolutionary Success).

In our first live talk show, we welcome you to consider two alternative lenses to view menopause: the anthropical and the psycho-societal.There's a reason why no one we know is talking about menopause.  With more context around why menopause happens to humans with ovaries and the culture that stigmatizes women's aging, we can reclaim choice and power in our own lives.  Kristen Hawkes is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the University of Utah. Her primary areas of expertise are Cultural Anthropology, Life History, Sociobiology.Jennifer Nadel is a qualified barrister, author, speaker, campaigner, award-winning journalist and women's rights campaigner. Her investigative report from Bosnia for ITV showed that rape was being used as a weapon of war by the Serbs. It was later used by UN War Crimes investigators. Her most recent book, co-authored with Gillian Anderson, explores women's rights.

Humans live long, much longer than any of our closest relatives. For human females, this means living a large part of adulthood without being able to produce new offspring. This is an evolutionary puzzle. Indeed, menopause is exceedingly rare in the animal kingdom, typical only in humans and some species of whales. Kristen Hawkes has a theory to explain this puzzle. Hawkes is an evolutionary anthropologist, best known for her pioneering role around the so-called “grandmother hypothesis”. In this episode, Ilari and Professor Hawkes discuss two aspects of the grandmother hypothesis. First, why would humans have evolved to survive menopause? And second, why is this a big deal? What were the cascading changes that surviving the menopause arguably triggered? The conversation touches upon many topics, such as: Grandmother hypothesis: the basics Rapid birth intervals in humans Pair bonding and romantic partnerships Role of fathers (and grandfathers) Brain size and brain development The “social appetite” in humans Humans vs chimpanzees: why are humans less competitive and more cooperative Climate changes and human origins Technical terms & ethnic groups mentioned The Hadza (Tanzania) The Ache (Paraguay) Pliocene (5.3 million – 2.6 million years ago) Australopithecus (Wikipedia) Altricial (undeveloped, immature) vs precocial (well-matured early on) (Wikipedia) Mau Mau rebellion (a 1950's rebellion against British rule in Kenya which included systemic torture by British colonial officers, Wikipedia) Names mentioned Jane Goodall Nicholas Blurton Jones James (Jim) O'Connell Geoff Parker Richard Wrangham Sherwood Washburn Sarah Blaffer Hrdy Barbara Finlay References A 1998 overview of the grandmother hypothesis (by Kristen Hawkes) Calories produced by mothers and grandmothers in the Hadza (by Kristen Hawkes) Distorting Darwinism (by Ilari)

Family physician Deborah Gordon, MD is the founder and Medical Director of the Northwest Memory Center in Ashland, Oregon. Her decades-long practice has revolved around healthy and adoptable lifestyle choices that impact the development of health problems, with a more recent focus on choices that affect cognitive health and neurodegenerative disease. Deborah has been on the podcast before to talk about autoimmunity, and she's with me today to discuss her new study, currently in the peer review process, in which potential contributors to cognitive decline are identified and targeted therapeutically. ​On this podcast, Deborah discusses the potential for using a precision medicine approach to Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Inspired by the work of physician and author Dr Dale Bredesen, Deborah has been working with patients to identify and treat root causes, including environmental exposures and infections, while promoting many of the lifestyle changes we talk about all the time on this podcast.  The results are astounding, and call into question the current standard of care for Alzheimer's.  Here's the outline of this interview with Deborah Gordon: [00:01:10] Deborah's previous appearance on the podcast: How to Fix Autoimmunity in the over 50s. [00:01:23] Deborah's interest in cognitive decline. [00:01:38] Dale Bredesen, MD; The Buck Institute for Research on Aging. [00:02:56] Tommy Wood, MD; Video: Systems Analysis and Multiple Sclerosis – Physicians for Ancestral health Symposium, 2015. [00:03:31] Anne Hathaway, MD; Podcast: The Critical Role of Oestradiol for Women's Cognition. [00:03:45] Dr. Bredesen's study: Bredesen, Dale E. "Reversal of cognitive decline: a novel therapeutic program." Aging (Albany NY) 6.9 (2014): 707. [00:05:54] Dr. Gordon's new paper: Toups, Kat, et al. "Precision Medicine Approach to Alzheimer's Disease: Successful Proof-of-Concept Trial." medRxiv (2021). [00:06:07] Cognitive decline. [00:07:20] Alz.org. [00:10:53] Objective measures of cognition. [00:11:51] Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). [00:13:47] CNS Vital Signs; Lumosity, Brain-HQ. [00:19:09] The conventional standard of care for cognitive impairment. [00:21:10] Medications for Alzheimer's. [00:27:27] IntellxxDNA. [00:29:20] Josh Turknett, MD; Josh on the NBT podcast: 1, 2, 3, 4. [00:33:58] 4-Quadrant Model. [00:41:24] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD. [00:45:00] Toxic exposures and infections; mold remediation. [00:48:45] Dr. Lyn Patrick, ND. [01:01:53] Dr. Bredesen's site: Apollo Health. [01:03:49] Facebook: Dale Bredesen and The Official Bredesen Protocol Support Group. [01:04:11] Dr. Bredesen's books: 1. The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline 2. The End of Alzheimer's Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age 3. The First Survivors of Alzheimer's: How Patients Recovered Life and Hope in Their Own Words. [01:05:22] Where to find Deborah: Drdeborahmd.com; Northwest Wellness & Memory Center; Facebook.

Back on the podcast with me today is licensed therapist and certified meditation teacher, Jason Connell. His work focuses on the intersection of evidence-based psychology, philosophy, and enduring insights from the wisdom traditions. His goal is to help his clients develop self-love and self-compassion while solving persistent and challenging problems related to happiness, stress, anxiety, work, relationships, and finding meaning. On this podcast, Jason talks about Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), the approach he uses to foster connection and facilitate positive transformational experiences with his clients. We discuss the goals of this therapeutic method, including the healing of attachment injury, which affects about 50% of the population. You can also listen in as Jason guides me through a short AEDP session right here on the podcast. Here's the outline of this interview with Jason Connell: [00:02:13] People experience greater stress in urban areas; Study: Lederbogen, Florian, et al. "City living and urban upbringing affect neural social stress processing in humans." Nature 474.7352 (2011): 498-501. [00:03:20] Jason's previous NBT podcast: From Magic to Mindfulness: The Evolution of an Entrepreneur. [00:03:33] Book: It's Not Always Depression: Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to Your Authentic Self, by Hilary Jacobs Hendel. [00:03:39] Book: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk. [00:06:01] Podcast: The Neurophysiology of Safety and How to Feel Safe, with Stephen Porges. [00:06:43] The need to belong. [00:06:51] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD. [00:07:53] Change triangle. [00:08:26] Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), founded by Diana Fosha, PhD. [00:10:08] Attachment theory - 50% are securely attached, 50% have attachment injury. [00:12:59] John Bowlby's work on attachment. [00:13:02] Book: Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding, by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy. [00:13:06] Book: Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy, by Jessica Fern. [00:26:04] Book: Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion, by Paul Bloom. [00:26:45] Compassion vs. Empathy. [00:28:19] Polyvagal theory. [00:30:54] Physiological safety. [00:32:46] Alexithymia. [00:37:05] AEDP demonstration. [01:02:54] Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) vs. AEDP. [01:12:16] AEDP Practitioner Directory. [01:13:39] Emotional Focused Therapy (couples) and Internal Family Systems (families); Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). [01:14:55] Find Jason at jasonconnell.co.

Jamie Wheal is an expert in peak performance and leadership, specializing in neuroanthropology - the intersection of culture, biology and psychology. He is the co-author of the global bestseller and Pulitzer Prize nominated book, Stealing Fire, and the founder of the Flow Genome Project, an international organization dedicated to the research and training of ultimate human performance. Since founding the organization in 2011, it has gone on to become a leading voice of evidence-based peak performance, counting award-winning academics, legendary professional athletes, special operations commanders, and Fortune 500 business leaders among the hundreds of thousands of people in its global community. ​On this podcast, Jamie discusses the “meaning crisis” that we’re suffering as a society, with fundamentalism and nihilism filling the vacuum. He offers a blunt and eye-opening perspective on where we are today as a culture, why it’s so hard to make sense of the world, and how our efforts to cope are likely making things worse. Jamie explains how best to bring about healing, inspiration, and connection, so we can wake up, grow up, and show up for a world that needs us all. Jamie’s upcoming book, Recapture the Rapture, is set to release on April 27, 2021. Here’s the outline of this interview with Jamie Wheal: [00:00:28] Book: Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That's Lost Its Mind, by Jamie Wheal. [00:00:51] Book: Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work, by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal. [00:01:22] Jamie's journey: music, mushrooms, mountains, and marriage. [00:10:10] Narcissism in the spiritual marketplace. [00:13:57] A meaning crisis. [00:17:22] Book: Omens of the Millennium: The Gnosis of Angels, Dreams, and Resurrection, by Harold Bloom.  [00:24:01] Article: The Rise of Victimhood Culture by Conor Friedersdorf. [00:24:10] Book: Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell. [00:25:08] Books by Christopher Ryan: Civilized to Death and Sex at Dawn.  [00:34:37] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes. [00:40:32] Neuroanthropology + cultural architecture. [00:41:33] Nitric Oxide. [00:43:12] Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman.  [00:46:22] Healing, inspiration, and connection. [00:47:31] 5 forces: respiration, embodiment, sexuality, substances, music. [00:52:23] Book: Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein. [00:53:49] Dr. Nicole Prause. [00:56:10] Psychedelics. [01:08:02] The importance of self-organizing groups. [01:08:41] Where trauma and talent intersect. [01:11:36] Recapture the Rapture website. [01:12:27] Get the audible version of Recapture the Rapture. [01:12:50] Stay awake, build stuff, and help out.

Michele sits down for a one-on-one with evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Kristen Hawkes of the University of Utah to talk about the "evolutionary theory of grandmothering," or, in other words, the foundation of everything. But the grandmother hypothesis is not about sweet little old ladies babysitting--it's also about how and why the anger industrial complex ultimately will lose. So shake up a Hawkes Hypothesis (details on IG @thecocktailconversations) and kick back for a chat about why we're here. You know, the light stuff.

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36197]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Each species of our primate cousins is unique as it represents the outcome of independent evolution. Yet, humans appear to be a remarkable outlier as we have numerous characteristics so far un-described in any other primate. Why should this be? This symposium will address several important distinctly human "biologically enculturated" characteristics, both in relation to each other and in contrast to our evolutionary cousins, and will also help to organize how and in what sequence distinctly human physical, mental, social, and cultural features evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36199]

Jessa Zimmerman, MA is a licensed couples counsellor and nationally certified sex therapist based in Seattle, Washington. She specializes in helping couples who find that sex has become stressful, negative, disappointing, or pressured. In her practice, she counsels and supports couples through an experiential process that allows them real-world practice in changing their relationship and their sex life. She is also the author of the book, Sex without stress; a couple’s guide to overcoming disappointment, avoidance, and pressure, and hosts The Better Sex Podcast. On this podcast, Jessa and I discuss the all-too-common struggles encountered by couples in long-term relationships who are experiencing a disconnect in sexual desire. She debunks some of the myths about sexual desire that often leave people feeling broken and confused once the initial flame of a relationship dies down. Jessa also shares one of her most powerful exercises for couples to start reconnecting if they’ve been avoiding sex. Here’s the outline of this interview with Jessa Zimmerman: [00:00:44] Kelly Casperson; Class: You Are Not Broken. [00:01:13] Jessa's background. [00:02:46] Sex positivity. [00:04:40] The Better Sex Podcast. [00:05:17] Book: Sex Without Stress: A couple's guide to overcoming disappointment, avoidance and pressure, by Jessa Zimmerman. [00:06:29] The WEIRD perspective - Westernized, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic; Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD. [00:07:54] Monogamy; Anthropologist Helen Fisher; The neurological effects of being in love: Fisher, Helen E., Arthur Aron, and Lucy L. Brown. "Romantic love: a mammalian brain system for mate choice." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 361.1476 (2006): 2173-2186. [00:09:48] Podcast: How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex and Pornography, with Megan Maas, PhD. [00:10:01] The role of pornography. [00:12:21] Defining sex. [00:13:38] Brad Stulberg; Book: The Passion Paradox; Podcast: How to Harness Productive Passion and Avoid Burnout [00:17:20] The giver/receiver exercise. [00:21:39] Spontaneous vs reactive sexual desire. [00:22:00] Rosemary Basson on the sexual response cycle; Basson, Rosemary. "The female sexual response: A different model." Journal of Sex &Marital Therapy 26.1 (2000): 51-65. [00:22:11] Emily Nagoski. [00:26:22] Only 6% of women lack both spontaneous and responsive desire; Study: Hendrickx, Lies, Luk Gijs, and Paul Enzlin. "Prevalence rates of sexual difficulties and associated distress in heterosexual men and women: Results from an Internet survey in Flanders." Journal of sex research 51.1 (2014): 1-12. [00:27:11] Growth mindset; Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck; Podcast: Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do, with Simon Marshall, PhD. [00:30:11] Beverly Whipple, PhD; Book: The G Spot: And Other Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality. [00:33:10] Measuring sexual excitability and inhibition. Emily Nagoski’s assessment tools. [00:35:43] You are responsible for your pleasure. [00:37:34] Vulnerability vs openness. [00:38:57] Podcast: The Neurophysiology of Safety and How to Feel Safe, with Stephen Porges, PhD. [00:40:36] Books: Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers, by Karyl McBride, PhD. and Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, by Tara Brach, PhD. [00:40:51] Chimp purge exercise; Article: Lieberman, Matthew D., et al. "Putting feelings into words." Psychological science 18.5 (2007): 421-428. [00:43:05] Book: The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness, by Steve Peters. [00:43:23]  The Elephant and the Rider, an analogy introduced by Psychologist Jonathan Haidt. [00:45:54] Jessa’s online course: Intimacy with Ease. [00:46:35] Webinar - How to Help Your Partner Want More Sex. [00:48:55] Facebook, Instagram.

There’s more than one way to measure how fast you’re ageing. There’s chronological age - the number of years you’ve been alive - and then there’s biological age, which you can think of as the total damage your body has accumulated over the years. Your chronological age may differ from your biological age, in which case it’s interesting to understand why. The good news is you can reduce your biological age by improving your lifestyle, which in turn can lengthen lifespan and healthspan. The question is, then, how to quantify biological age? On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall talks about PhenoAge: a measure of biological age that can be determined by analyzing a shortlist of common blood markers. We talk about why PhenoAge is important and valid as a reliable measure of biological status, and how you can get your PhenoAge score. Megan also offers tips for improving your PhenoAge once you’ve got your baseline. This episode has a ton of information, so be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline. Here’s the outline of this interview with Megan Hall: [00:00:25] Arden Pope, PhD; Studies on the effects of air pollution on human health. [00:01:15] Puppy update. [00:05:54] Is ageing a disease? Article: Bulterijs, Sven, et al. "It is time to classify biological aging as a disease." Frontiers in genetics 6 (2015): 205.   [00:06:35] Primary vs secondary ageing. [00:08:02] Book: Lifespan: Why We Age - and Why We Don't Have To, by David A. Sinclair PhD. [00:08:16] Ken Ford; STEM-Talk Podcast. Ken Ford on the NBT Podcast: Optimal Diet and Movement for Healthspan, Amplified Intelligence and More. [00:09:19] Measuring ageing. [00:13:09] Theories of ageing - more than 300 theories; Articles: Tosato, Matteo, et al. "The aging process and potential interventions to extend life expectancy." Clinical interventions in aging 2.3 (2007): 401. 2. da Costa, Joao Pinto, et al. "A synopsis on aging—Theories, mechanisms and future prospects." Ageing research reviews 29 (2016): 90-112. 3. Jin, Kunlin. "Modern biological theories of aging." Aging and disease 1.2 (2010): 72.  [00:13:34] Grandmother hypothesis; Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD. [00:14:48] Program Theories and Damage Theories. [00:17:45] Epigenetic clock theory of aging; Steven Horvath; Study: Horvath, Steve, and Kenneth Raj. "DNA methylation-based biomarkers and the epigenetic clock theory of ageing." Nature Reviews Genetics 19.6 (2018): 371.  [00:19:02] Steven Horvath's TEDx talk: Epigenetic Clocks Help to Find Anti-Aging Treatments. [00:20:47] Book: Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, by David Kushner. [00:21:43] DNA methylation; Article: Horvath, Steve. "DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types." Genome biology 14.10 (2013): 3156. [00:23:13] Offspring of semi-supercentenarians have lower epigenetic age; Study: Horvath, Steve, et al. "Decreased epigenetic age of PBMCs from Italian semi-supercentenarians and their offspring." Aging (Albany NY) 7.12 (2015): 1159.  [00:23:36] Methylation based biological age associated with: 1.  breast cancer risk: Kresovich, Jacob K., et al. "Methylation-based biological age and breast cancer risk." JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute 111.10 (2019): 1051-1058. 2. Frailty: Breitling, Lutz Philipp, et al. "Frailty is associated with the epigenetic clock but not with telomere length in a German cohort." Clinical epigenetics 8.1 (2016): 21; 3. All-cause mortality: Marioni, Riccardo E., et al. "DNA methylation age of blood predicts all-cause mortality in later life." Genome biology 16.1 (2015): 1-12 and Christiansen, Lene, et al. "DNA methylation age is associated with mortality in a longitudinal Danish twin study." Aging cell 15.1 (2016): 149-154. [00:24:46] PhenoAge as a biomarker of ageing for lifespan and healthspan; Study: Levine, Morgan E., et al. "An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan." Aging (Albany NY) 10.4 (2018): 573. [00:29:06] Nine blood markers that make up PhenoAge. [00:29:57] PhenoAge related to COVID-19; Study: Kuo, Chia-Ling, et al. "COVID-19 severity is predicted by earlier evidence of accelerated aging." medRxiv (2020).  [00:30:34] Combining PhenoAge with DNA methylation data as a predictor of mortality. [00:33:28] Episode 59 of HumanOS podcast: Are You Biologically Older or Younger Than Your Chronological Age? [00:33:58] Dr. Josh Turkett’s 4-quadrant model. [00:34:00] Lifestyle factors that accelerate ageing: Sleep: Li, Xiaoyu, et al. "Association between sleep disordered breathing and epigenetic age acceleration: Evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis." EBioMedicine 50 (2019): 387-394; Socioeconimic status, childhood and adult adversity: Liu, Zuyun, et al. "Associations of genetics, behaviors, and life course circumstances with a novel aging and healthspan measure: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study." PLoS medicine 16.6 (2019): e1002827; Education: Zhao, Wei, et al. "Education and lifestyle factors are associated with DNA methylation clocks in older African Americans." International journal of environmental research and public health 16.17 (2019): 3141. [00:35:59] Protein; Podcast: Why You’re Probably Not Eating Enough Protein (How to Know for Sure), with Megan Hall. [00:36:50] Book: The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health, by Justin Sonnenburg and Erica Sonnenburg. [00:37:23] Bloodsmart.ai. [00:38:35] Patreon: nbt.link [00:39:33] Age reversal possible in humans? Study: Fahy, Gregory M., et al. "Reversal of epigenetic aging and immunosenescent trends in humans." Aging cell 18.6 (2019): e13028.  [00:40:15] Simon Marshall, PhD. [00:41:00] Interpreting your blood markers to understand PhenoAge. [00:46:11] PhenoAge vs Predicted Age.

Dr. Sue Carter is a Distinguished University Scientist and Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology at Indiana University. A career biologist, Dr Carter has studied the endocrinology of love and social bonds for more than three decades. Her research on pair bonding helped lay the foundation for further work on the behavioural and developmental effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans. Recently, she has been examining the role of these neuropeptides in psychiatric and neurological disorders such as autism and depression. In this podcast, Dr Carter discusses the many ways oxytocin is integral to our development, physiological health, and social behaviour. She explains how too much or too little can be detrimental and describes her long-standing concern regarding the consequences of using synthetic oxytocin to induce labour during pregnancy. She talks about some of the recently discovered developmental functions of oxytocin and vasopressin, including muscle and bone synthesis and regeneration, and shares what you can do to increase the oxytocin your body produces naturally. Here’s the outline of this interview with Sue Carter: [00:00:15] Book: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst, by Robert M. Sapolsky. [00:01:01] Studying prairie voles. [00:07:51] Thomas Insel, Larry Young, and Zuoxin Wang at Emory University. [00:14:13] Book: Sperm Wars: Infidelity, Sexual Conflict, and Other Bedroom Battles, by Robin Baker. [00:14:36] Sarah Hrdy; Book: Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding. [00:17:29] Effects of early life stress on oxytocin and vasopressin. [00:26:15] "Cry it out" sleep training. [00:28:04] Oxytocin and autism. [00:30:13] Oxytocin being studied in treatment of autism; Reviews: 1. Benner, Seico, and Hidenori Yamasue. "Clinical potential of oxytocin in autism spectrum disorder: current issues and future perspectives." Behavioural Pharmacology 29.1 (2018): 1-12; 2. Okamoto, Yuko, et al. "The potential of nasal oxytocin administration for remediation of autism spectrum disorders." CNS & Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-CNS & Neurological Disorders) 15.5 (2016): 564-577. [00:31:57] Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin). [00:34:06] Just the right amount of oxytocin is required; too much and the system is disrupted. (Study mentioned by Sue is not available). [00:36:19] Postpartum depression. [00:39:52] Oxytocin as anti-inflammatory. [00:40:40] Higher oxytocin associated with faster wound healing; Study: Gouin, Jean-Philippe, et al. "Marital behavior, oxytocin, vasopressin, and wound healing." Psychoneuroendocrinology 35.7 (2010): 1082-1090. [00:42:08] Optimizing your body's production of oxytocin. [00:42:43] Oxytocin necessary for muscle regeneration; Study: Elabd, Christian, et al. "Oxytocin is an age-specific circulating hormone that is necessary for muscle maintenance and regeneration." Nature communications 5.1 (2014): 1-11. [00:43:35] Effect of exercise on oxytocin production. [00:44:53] Oxytocin during exercise could prevent breast cancer; Study: Alizadeh, Ali Mohammad, et al. "Oxytocin mediates the beneficial effects of the exercise training on breast cancer." Experimental physiology 103.2 (2018): 222-235. [00:46:30] Dr. Josh Turknett on minimizing environmental mismatch; Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution. [00:46:38] Book: The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease, by Daniel Lieberman. [00:46:41] Article: Evolved to Exercise, by Herman Pontzer. [00:50:22] Potential use in treating COVID-19; Commentary: Oxytocin, a possible treatment for COVID-19? Everything to Gain, Nothing to Lose. [00:55:03] Effects of adversity on oxytocin and vasopressin. [00:56:02] Dr. Stephen Porges; Book: The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology). [00:57:58] Possible downsides of oxytocin; Creating intergroup bias: De Dreu, Carsten KW, et al. "Oxytocin promotes human ethnocentrism." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108.4 (2011): 1262-1266. [00:58:26] Vasopressin implicated in out-group phenomenon; Review: Kavaliers, Martin, and Elena Choleris. "Out-group threat responses, in-group bias, and nonapeptide involvement are conserved across vertebrates:(A Comment on Bruintjes et al.,“Out-Group Threat Promotes Within-Group Affiliation in a Cooperative Fish”)." The American Naturalist 189.4 (2017): 453-458. (On SciHub). [00:59:18] Podcast: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity, with Brian Hare, PhD. [01:02:42] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD. [01:04:13] The value of breastfeeding. [01:09:54] Review paper: Is Oxytocin “Nature’s Medicine”? Not yet published. Please contact Sue if you would like a copy. [01:11:15] Where to find Sue: Indiana University; Kinsey Institute; Pubmed.

Jodi Flaws is a Professor of Comparative Biosciences and the Principal Investigator at the Reproductive Toxicology Laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. Her lab studies the effects of environmental pollutants on the development and function of the human body, specifically relating to endocrine and reproductive health. Joining her is Karen Chiu, a PhD student whose work focuses on the impact and mechanism of various chemicals on the gut microbiome. On the podcast today Dr. Flaws and Karen Chiu discuss some of the health-damaging chemicals that have become ubiquitous in our food supply, personal care items, and even our carpeting and mattresses. They describe some of the physiological effects of these pollutants, including potentially deleterious changes to the gut microbiota and early reproductive aging. They also share tips for reducing and mitigating exposure to these compounds. After recording this podcast Karen talked with me a bit about organic foods - are they worth the additional cost to avoid some of these toxic chemicals? It turns out that while they are exposed to fewer pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics than conventional foods, it’s not true that organic foods are totally free of these contaminants. If you see the "USDA Organic" label, you can assume the food is at least 95% organic, while a product that claims to be “made with” organic ingredients is at least 70% organic. In her opinion, organic foods and products are the way to go when possible, given their lighter chemical load. It’s always a good idea to wash your produce to get as much of the pesticide residues off whether it be organic or conventional. Here’s the outline of this interview with Jodi Flaws and Karen Chiu: [00:00:30] Paper: Chiu, Karen, et al. "The Impact of Environmental Chemicals on the Gut Microbiome." Toxicological Sciences (2020). [00:01:25] Background and interest in environmental chemicals. [00:03:35] Endocrine-disrupting chemicals. [00:04:37] Phthalates and how they affect the body. [00:06:08] Effects of Phthalates on the microbiome. [00:07:15] Butyrate; Podcast: Microbiome Myths and Misconceptions, with Lucy Mailing, PhD. [00:08:58] Potential effects of pesticides: increased lipid accumulation, decreased glucose tolerance, increased expression of adipogenic genes; Review: Xiao, Xiao, John M. Clark, and Yeonhwa Park. "Potential contribution of insecticide exposure and development of obesity and type 2 diabetes." Food and Chemical Toxicology 105 (2017): 456-474. [00:10:44] Reducing exposure to phthalates. [00:12:26] Environmental Working Group (EWG) database. [00:14:09] Bisphenols. [00:16:51] "BPA-free" - not necessarily safer. [00:18:13] Effects of bisphenols on the gut microbiome. [00:18:43] Bisphenol exposure in mice, effects on microbiome; Study: Javurek, Angela B., et al. "Effects of exposure to bisphenol A and ethinyl estradiol on the gut microbiota of parents and their offspring in a rodent model." Gut Microbes 7.6 (2016): 471-485. [00:19:00] Akkermansia beneficial for intestinal immunity; Study: Ottman, Noora, et al. "Pili-like proteins of Akkermansia muciniphila modulate host immune responses and gut barrier function." PloS one 12.3 (2017). [00:20:24] Podcast: How to Use Probiotics to Improve Your Health, with Jason Hawrelak, PhD. [00:21:12] Persistent organic pollutants: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Perfluorochemicals (PFCs), flame retardants and their adverse health effects. [00:24:42] Exercise can attenuate change in the gut microbiome caused by PCBs; Study: Choi, Jeong June, et al. "Exercise attenuates PCB-induced changes in the mouse gut microbiome." Environmental health perspectives 121.6 (2013): 725-730. [00:25:54] Hepcidin; Podcast: The Athlete’s Gut: Why Things Go Wrong and What to Do About It, with Megan Hall. [00:27:20] Strategies for limiting exposure. [00:29:20] Heavy Metals - lead, cadmium, arsenic and their effects on the microbiome. [00:32:49] Higher arsenic levels can lead to higher Citrobacter population; Study: Wu, Fen, et al. "The role of gut microbiome and its interaction with arsenic exposure in carotid intima-media thickness in a Bangladesh population." Environment international 123 (2019): 104-113. [00:33:29] Arsenic exposure increases TMAO; Study: Kuroda, Kaoru Yoshida Yoshinori Inoue Koichi, Hua Chen Hideki Wanibuchi Shoji Fukushima, and Ginji Endo. "Urinary excretion of arsenic metabolites after long-term oral administration of various arsenic compounds to rats." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A 54.3 (1998): 179-192. [00:34:18] Chris Masterjohn and Chris Kressor on TMAO. [00:34:40] Glyphosate alters gut microbiota; Studies: Blot, Nicolas, et al. "Glyphosate, but not its metabolite AMPA, alters the honeybee gut microbiota." PloS one 14.4 (2019) and Aitbali, Yassine, et al. "Glyphosate based-herbicide exposure affects gut microbiota, anxiety and depression-like behaviors in mice." Neurotoxicology and teratology 67 (2018): 44-49. [00:40:33] Pig GI tract similar to humans; Dr. Sharon Donovan. [00:42:34] Siloxanes (silicone products). [00:43:52] Siloxanes; Associated with hypothyroid in cats: Poutasse, Carolyn M., et al. "Silicone pet tags associate tris (1, 3-dichloro-2-isopropyl) phosphate exposures with feline hyperthyroidism." Environmental science & technology 53.15 (2019): 9203-9213; associated with age of menopause: Chow, Erika T., and Shruthi Mahalingaiah. "Cosmetics use and age at menopause: is there a connection?." Fertility and sterility 106.4 (2016): 978-990. [00:45:03] Nicolas Taleb; Incerto series. [00:45:31] Hot flashes and potential causes. [00:45:51] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD. [00:47:23] Link between phthalate exposure and hot flashes (research coming soon). [00:50:29] Genetic mutation in sperm linked to autism risk. Study: Breuss, Martin W., et al. "Autism risk in offspring can be assessed through quantification of male sperm mosaicism." Nature Medicine 26.1 (2020): 143-150. [00:50:45] Effects of phthalates on men include early reproductive aging; Study: Barakat, Radwa, et al. "Prenatal exposure to DEHP induces premature reproductive senescence in male mice." Toxicological Sciences 156.1 (2017): 96-108. [00:51:14] Things to do to reduce exposure; CertiPUR-US. [00:55:17] Contact Dr. Flaws. Instagram. [00:57:13] heeds.org for information on endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

This week we’re doing something a little different, and sharing with you the latest Endurance Planet podcast, hosted by holistic health and endurance sports coach, Tawnee Prazak Gibson, MS, SCSC, CISSN. The episode features Julian Abel, MD, the Director of Compassionate Communities UK, who has been on the podcast before describing the social, financial, and health benefits that come with integrating social support into healthcare. I also participated in this podcast with Tawnee and Julian, and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. On this podcast, the three of us discuss the importance of social connection during this era of physical distancing and uncertainty. Many of us have had our daily routine sufficiently shaken. With this can come feelings of isolation and loneliness, yet it can also yield insight into what truly makes us happy. Julian, Tawnee and I talk about maintaining relationships during this challenging time, as well as reintegrating with others as lockdown mandates are lifted. We also discuss cohousing and alloparenting, and what my family is doing to build a stronger community. Here’s the outline of this interview with Julian Abel and Tawnee Gibson: [00:00:20] Endurance Planet Podcast. [00:00:31] Previous podcast with Julian Abel: Building Compassionate Communities to Improve Public Health. [00:01:41] Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson at Braveheart Coaching. [00:03:00] Book: The Brave Athlete: Calm the F--k Down and Rise to the Occasion. [00:03:02] Endurance Planet Podcast: Simon Marshall, PhD, and Lesley Paterson: How To Be A Brave Athlete By Managing Your Brain. [00:03:16] Uncertainty and loneliness related to COVID-19. [00:07:24] Calming anxiety. [00:11:59] Deficit model of happiness. [00:13:03] Working from home. [00:13:21] Cal Newport; Podcast: How to Live Well in a High Tech World; Book: Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. [00:13:44] Stimulus control; Podcast with Ashley Mason: How to Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. [00:15:07] XTERRA podcast with Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson. [00:15:22] Creating certainty in an uncertain world. [00:15:31] Book: Willpower by Roy Baumeister; Atomic Habits by James Clear. [00:16:02] External sources of happiness vs. focusing on what's important. [00:17:22] Book: Propaganda, by Edward Bernays. [00:21:22] Maintaining relationships during physical distancing. [00:24:39] Brad Kearns podcasts on parenting: Surprising Parenting Tips, Part 1 (Inverse Power of Praise) and Surprising Parenting Tips, Part 2 (The Importance of Perseverance Through Struggle). [00:25:26] Books: The Drama of the Gifted Child, by Alice Miller; Will I Ever Be Good Enough? By Dr. Karyl McBride. [00:30:35] Cordon sanitaire: restriction of movement. [00:34:54] Book: Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, by John T. Cacioppo. [00:36:06] Podcasts with Stephanie Welch: Disruptive Anthropology: An Ancestral Health Perspective on Barefooting and Male Circumcision and The Need for Tribal Living in a Modern World. [00:36:36] Article: The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake, by David Brooks. [00:38:12] Podcast: The Human Milk-Oriented Microbiota: Babies and Beyond, with Megan Sanctuary. [00:38:41] Podcast: Contemplating Cohousing: A Paradigm for Modern Day Tribal Living, with Julie Kelly. [00:41:28] Solitude Deficiency. [00:43:31] Book: Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding, by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy  by Sarah Hrdy. [00:50:43] Public Health Palliative Care International (PHPCI) COVID19 resources. [00:52:44] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes. [00:59:47] Book: Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, by Matthew Syed. [01:01:06] Reintegrating with others after lockdown. [01:03:53] Article: The Coronation, by Charles Eisenstein. [01:04:00] Book: The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It, by John Tierney and Roy Baumeister. [01:05:09] Article: Abel, Julian, et al. "Circles of care: should community development redefine the practice of palliative care?." BMJ supportive & palliative care 3.4 (2013): 383-388. [01:06:52] Harvard Study of Adult Development. [01:08:50] Christopher Ryan; Book: Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress and podcast: Civilized to Death: Are We Really Making Progress? [01:09:33] Book: Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero, by Christopher McDougall.

Back on the podcast today is our favourite neurologist, writer, podcaster, speaker and banjo player, Josh Turknett, MD. Josh’s many current projects include his Brainjo neuroscience-based educational courses, the Intelligence Unshackled podcast, and his virtual neurology practice.  He has recently authored two new books, Keto for Migraine and The Laws of Brainjo, with more on the way later this year.  On this podcast, Josh talks about his working theory of cognitive decline and how to best avoid it. He calls it the Demand Driven Decline Theory and explains why we need to build up our brain’s ability to repair and recover while also mitigating cognitive damage. Josh shares the best strategies to do this, and it’s simpler (and more fun) than you think.  Here’s the outline of this interview with Josh Turknett: [00:00:33] Previous podcast with Josh on unschooling: How to Support Childhood Cognitive Development. [00:00:44] Masters of Scale Podcast; episode with Nancy Lublin from the Crisis Text Line. [00:02:20] Supporting cognitive function as we age. [00:02:31] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes. [00:08:52] Modern hunter-gatherers and cognitive decline. [00:11:26] Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution, with Josh Turknett, 4-quadrant model. [00:13:20] Cognitive activity protective against neurodegenerative disease; The nun study: Iacono, D., et al. "The Nun study: clinically silent AD, neuronal hypertrophy, and linguistic skills in early life." Neurology 73.9 (2009): 665-673. [00:15:19] Cognitive reserve. [00:16:03] Rats in enriched environments have structurally superior brains; Study: Torasdotter, Marita, et al. "Environmental enrichment results in higher levels of nerve growth factor mRNA in the rat visual cortex and hippocampus." Behavioural brain research 93.1-2 (1998): 83-90. [00:16:40] Auditory training program with rats reversed over 20 auditory processing deficits in the adult brain; Study: de Villers-Sidani, Etienne, et al. "Recovery of functional and structural age-related changes in the rat primary auditory cortex with operant training." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.31 (2010): 13900-13905. [00:17:21] Intelligence Unshackled Podcast: Pioneer of Plasticity Dr. Michael Merzenich. [00:22:54] Maintaining cognitive activity as a predictor of physical activity; Study: Cheval, Boris, et al. "Relationship between decline in cognitive resources and physical activity." Health Psychology (2020). [00:25:29] Demand-driven decline theory. [00:26:20] Retiring earlier associated with higher mortality; Study: Wu, Chenkai, et al. "Association of retirement age with mortality: a population-based longitudinal study among older adults in the USA." J Epidemiol Community Health 70.9 (2016): 917-923. [00:27:00] “Widowhood effect” - 66% increased chance of death in the first three months after your spouse dies. Study: Moon, J. Robin, et al. "Short-and long-term associations between widowhood and mortality in the United States: longitudinal analyses." Journal of public health 36.3 (2014): 382-389. [00:29:56] The "better off dead" rule.  [00:32:32] Why the young are protected from cognitive decline: early demands on the nervous system. [00:37:57] How schools may undermine cognitive development. [00:40:03] What to do: recreate the demands on the nervous system of youth. [00:45:06] Book: The Laws of Brainjo: The Art & Science of Molding a Musical Mind, by Josh Turknett. [00:48:19] Teaching children - what should learning look like? [00:54:15] Book: The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children, by Alison Gopnik. [00:56:34] jturk.net. [00:56:45] Derek Sivers. [00:57:27] Transitioning to a virtual clinic.

Kristen Hawkes, PhD is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah, where she has taught in the Department of Anthropology for over four decades. She is also a collaborative scientist with the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and has authored over 120 scientific publications. She lectures internationally on our grandmothering life history and menopause as a uniquely human evolutionary advantage. On this podcast, Dr. Hawkes discusses the grandmother hypothesis and the environment that likely propelled human evolution. When savanna youngsters couldn’t yet manage to feed themselves, grandmothers were there to help forage,  supporting dependent grandchildren as their own fertility was ending. In the meantime, still-fertile females could invest less in each offspring and have more babies sooner. More robust older females could subsidize more descendants, favouring mutations that enhanced postmenopausal longevity. The research of Dr. Hawkes and her colleagues can help us better understand the critical role of intergenerational support, and how modern individualism has caused us to veer off track. Here’s the outline of this interview with Kristen Hawkes: [00:01:22] Becoming interested in grandmothering. [00:04:17] James O'Connell, Kim Hill, PhD, Eric L. Charnov. [00:16:00]  The economics of the grandmother role. [00:17:10] Chimpanzee babies learn to forage and feed themselves while nursing; Studies: Bădescu, Iulia, et al. "A novel fecal stable isotope approach to determine the timing of age‐related feeding transitions in wild infant chimpanzees." American journal of physical anthropology 162.2 (2017): 285-299; and Bray, Joel, et al. "The development of feeding behavior in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)." American journal of physical anthropology 165.1 (2018): 34-46. [00:20:01] Book: Life History Invariants: Some Explorations of Symmetry in Evolutionary Ecology (Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution), by Eric L. Charnov. [00:22:19] Mathematical biologist Peter Kim.  [00:26:33] Why humans are unique amongst primates: Slower development and earlier weaning. [00:31:49] Cognitive neuroscientist Barbara Finlay. [00:34:28] Anthropologist Sarah Hrdy; the cognitive ecology of human babies. [00:36:14] Nancy Howell, demographer for the Harvard Kalahari Project. [00:38:18] Life expectancy statistics based on an average; childhood and infant mortality historically skews results. [00:38:33] Demographic studies of foraging populations; Books: Ache Life History: The Ecology and Demography of a Foraging People (Foundations of Human Behavior) by A. Magdalena Hurtado and Kim Hill;  Demography of the Dobe !Kung (Evolutionary Foundations of Human Behavior), by Nancy Howell; Demography and Evolutionary Ecology of Hadza Hunter-Gatherers, by Nicholas Blurton Jones. [00:39:27] Life expectancy data, by country; Study:  Oeppen, Jim, and James W. Vaupel. "Broken limits to life expectancy." (2002): 1029-1031. [00:42:36] Estrogen and hormone replacement therapy. [00:44:35] Estrogen is converted from DHEA, DHEAS after menopause. [00:47:17] High testosterone is missing among the Ache of Paraguay; Study: Bribiescas, Richard G. "Testosterone levels among Aché hunter-gatherer men." Human Nature 7.2 (1996): 163-188. [00:48:36] Evaluating menopausal symptoms in different populations; Lynnette Leidy Sievert. [00:52:16] Having a grandmother vastly increases chances that a child will survive. [00:53:51] Female fertility begins to decline in late 20s. [00:54:11] Utah Population Database for Utah demographic information. [00:56:12] Book: Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding, by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy. [01:00:07] Cognitive skills: orangutans, chimpanzees and human children; Study: Herrmann, Esther, et al. "Humans have evolved specialized skills of social cognition: The cultural intelligence hypothesis." science 317.5843 (2007): 1360-1366. [01:02:34] The Infant Cognition Center at Yale;  Babies prefer individuals who help to one who hinders another; Study: Hamlin, J. Kiley, Karen Wynn, and Paul Bloom. "Social evaluation by preverbal infants." Nature 450.7169 (2007): 557-559. [01:03:51] We're all grownup babies; Book: The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind, by Alison Gopnik. [01:14:40] Books by Barbara Ehrenreich: Natural Causes, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,   and Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America. [01:18:50] Cooperation because of self-domestication; Book: The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution; Study: Hare, Brian, Victoria Wobber, and Richard Wrangham. "The self-domestication hypothesis: evolution of bonobo psychology is due to selection against aggression." Animal Behaviour 83.3 (2012): 573-585. [01:19:07] Books: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity, by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods; Dognition assessment and analysis. [01:20:55] Bonobos exhibit delayed development of social behavior; Study: Wobber, Victoria, Richard Wrangham, and Brian Hare. "Bonobos exhibit delayed development of social behavior and cognition relative to chimpanzees." Current Biology 20.3 (2010): 226-230. [01:21:57] Bonobos prefer individuals who hinder over those that help; Study: Krupenye, Christopher, and Brian Hare. "Bonobos prefer individuals that hinder others over those that help." Current Biology 28.2 (2018): 280-286. [01:27:22] You can contact Kristen at the University of Utah, Department of Anthropology.

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter SubscribeStar: https://www.subscribestar.com/the-dissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT Anchor (podcast): https://anchor.fm/thedissenter Dr. Kristen Hawkes is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the University of Utah. Dr. Hawkes, an expert in human evolution and sociobiology, is the author of several studies on the “grandmother hypothesis,” which asserts that many of the characteristics that distinguish us from our ape ancestors are thanks to the thoughtful care of our grandmothers. Her research is based on ethnographic observation studies of hunter-gatherer communities such as the Aché and Hadza. She has also developed mathematical models to model evolution over time and trace the influence of grandmothers on human lifespan. Combining mathematical modelling and observational studies she also researches the effects of fire on ancient hunter-gatherers. In this episode, we focus on the grandmother hypothesis. First, Dr. Hawkes tells us about how she got to study the Aché in Eastern Paraguay, and the Hadza in Tanzania, and the insights she got from them. We go on a bit of a tangent to talk about human foraging behavior, and why men hunt. Then, we discuss the grandmother hypothesis in its several dimensions, referring to how grandmothers during our evolutionary history contributed to the success of their grandchildren, and also increased their daughters' fertility, for example. We also address the relationship between grandmothers and the evolution of human life history. Finally, we talk about the evolution of menopause, the role of grandfathers, and grandmothers in modern societies. -- Follow Dr. Hawkes' work: Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2BcYOSW Research works on ResearchGate: http://bit.ly/2BeWE58 CARTA page: http://bit.ly/38DDQvR -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, BO WINEGARD, VEGA GIDEY, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, DAVID DIAS, ANJAN KATTA, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, MAX BEILBY, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, AND CORY CLARK! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, ROSEY, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, SERGIU CODREANU, AND LUIS CAYETANO! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MICHAL RUSIECKI!

Randy Epping, author of "The New World Economy," on global economy in 2020. Paul Freedman of Yale Univ on masculine and feminine foods. Calder Walton, Harvard Univ, on what it really means to be a spy. Michelle Litchman, Univ of Utah, on black market insulin and other drugs. Elizabeth Loftus of the Univ of California, Irvine on how fake news creates false memories. Parent Previews' Kristen Hawkes on movies about capital punishment.

In 1989, a team of anthropologists studying Hadza hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania noticed how hard one particular group was working: the grandmothers. “They were well into their sixties and their productivity was just as great as the women who are still in the childbearing years,” Kristen Hawkes, one of the anthropologists involved, tells Emily. Historically, women’s primary contribution to society was to give birth– implying post-menopausal women offered no value. We now have scientific evidence to prove that wrong.

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34706]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34706]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34706]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34706]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34706]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34706]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34706]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34706]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? This program: Kristen Hawkes, Alyssa Crittenden, Patricia Churchland. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34694]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? This program: Kristen Hawkes, Alyssa Crittenden, Patricia Churchland. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34694]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? This program: Kristen Hawkes, Alyssa Crittenden, Patricia Churchland. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34694]

CARTA celebrates its 10th anniversary with a whirlwind tour of anthropogeny, the study of the origin of humans, by addressing these questions across multiple disciplines: What do we know for certain? What do we think we know? What do we need to know? How do we proceed? This program: Kristen Hawkes, Alyssa Crittenden, Patricia Churchland. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34694]

Welcome to Grandmothers on the Move! I’m your host, Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, and today I have the great honour to speak with Dr. Kristen Hawkes, the brilliant originator of THE GRANDMOTHER HYPOTHESIS: How grandmothers played a pivotal role in the evolution and very continuation of our species. What we've always suspected! Here is a scientific, anthropological and deeply fascinating hypothesis... deeply satisfying too! This is the extended version of the interview - a longer, much more in-depth discussion which anthropology, ethnography and evolutionary biology buffs will find worth listening to!

Welcome to Grandmothers on the Move! I’m your host, Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, and today I have the great honour to speak with Dr. Kristen Hawkes, the brilliant originator of THE GRANDMOTHER HYPOTHESIS: How grandmothers played a pivotal role in the evolution and very continuation of our species. What we've always suspected! Here is a scientific, anthropological and deeply fascinating hypothesis... deeply satisfying too! There are two versions of this interview available... this one, a shorter excerpt, which provides an overview of The Grandmother Hypothesis, and another longer episode on my website (episode #30A) that has the full and extended interview - which anthropology, ethnography and evolutionary biology buffs will find worth listening to!

Prof. Janice Lawrence says there are cyanobacteria which emit toxins that can affect the skin, others the liver or nervous system. (Kristen Hawkes)

Spencer and Razib talk to Kristen Hawkes, proponent of "The Grandmother Hypothesis," about the importance of mothers and grandmothers in human evolutionary history.

Why is menopause a thing? Only three species really do it: short-finned pilot whales, killer whales and humans beings. It’s biologically strange. And it gives us another biologically strange thing: grandmas. Dr Kristen Hawkes (University of Utah) is the lead proponent of the Grandmother Hypothesis, which says that grandmas became a thing in human evolution because having them was a pretty good deal, evolutionarily speaking.   Links from this episode: Listen to Kristen’s full lecture at the Science Festival at Sydney Uni’s Sydney Ideas podcast. (She’s introduced by local collaborator, Peter Kim.) The Atlantic also has a bit more about the Grandmother Hypothesis. If you just want to know about other animals that do go through menopause, National Geographic has you covered.   Songs in This Episode: Green, Green Rocky Road — Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack)1, 2, 3 — CamilleGolden Valves — Orkestra Del SolIl Principe — EusebioGreen, Green Rocky Road — Dave Van Ronk (Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack)Mis Dos Pequeñas — Orlando Cachaito Lopez (Six Feet Under soundtrack)

The Grandmother Hypothesis aims to explain why increased longevity evolved in humans, while female fertility still ends at the same age it does in our closest evolutionary cousins, the great apes. Beginning with ethnographic surprises that drew us to pay attention to grandmothering in the first place, Kristen Hawkes will show how, in addition to human life history, grandmothering can help explain the precocious sociality of human infants and our distinctive appetite for mutual understanding as well as patterns of male competition and pair bonding. Crucial evidence about human evolution continues to come from the expanding fossil and archaeological records, paleoecology, and increasingly genomics. But comparisons between us and our primate cousins, coupled with formal modelling by Peter Kim and his mathematical biology group at the University of Sydney, are proving to be an especially valuable way to explore evolutionary connections between grandmothering and an array of distinctive human features. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Professor Kristen Hawkes is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the University of Utah. Her principal research interests are evolutionary ecology of hunter-gatherers and human evolution. She is a member of the Scientific Executive Committee of the Leakey Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the US National Academy of Sciences.

When Kristen Hawkes first started to research the foraging habits of the Hadza hunter-gatherers, she noticed that the older women in the society were spending their time collecting food and sharing it with their grandchildren. She started to wonder if this type of contribution from grandmothers might explain why humans have such long lives. Her grandmother hypothesis suggests that grandmothering may have led to many of the things that make humans different from other great apes. Thanks to Kristen Hawkes of the University of Utah for sharing her work with us. Dr. Hawkes is a member of The Leakey Foundation's Scientific Executive Committee. Links Kristen Hawkes' Website Grandmothers and the evolution of pair bonds Grandmothers and the evolution of human longevity: a review of findings and future directions Leakeyfoundation.org Credits This episode was produced by Schuyler Swenson. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Scoring and mixing by Schuyler Swenson. Origin Stories theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.  Sponsors This episode was produced with support from the Being Human initiative of The Baumann Foundation and The Leakey Foundation. Transcripts are provided by Adept Word Management.

Conjugal families are often assumed to be building blocks of human societies and the primary site of childrearing in traditional communities. Alternatively, Kristen Hawkes (Univ of Utah) contends that the Grandmother Hypothesis draws attention to other relationships likely fundamental in the evolution of our lineage. Persistent ties that crosscut conjugal families are implied by our cooperative childcare, distinctive prosociality, and extraordinary operational sex ratios. These high operational sex ratios also affect the way men negotiate with other men, which in turn affects the economics of childrearing. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28036]

Conjugal families are often assumed to be building blocks of human societies and the primary site of childrearing in traditional communities. Alternatively, Kristen Hawkes (Univ of Utah) contends that the Grandmother Hypothesis draws attention to other relationships likely fundamental in the evolution of our lineage. Persistent ties that crosscut conjugal families are implied by our cooperative childcare, distinctive prosociality, and extraordinary operational sex ratios. These high operational sex ratios also affect the way men negotiate with other men, which in turn affects the economics of childrearing. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28036]

From the moment of birth, human infants require an inordinate amount of care and, unlike our nearest living relatives, remain dependent on a variety of caretakers during an unusually long maturation period followed by extraordinary adult longevity. How did such a distinctive pattern of development evolve and what other human features are linked to it? Barry Hewlett (Washington State Univ, Vancouver) begins with a discussion on Sharing Childcare and Knowledge in Infancy, followed by Kristen Hawkes (Univ of Utah) on Grandmothers and the Extended Family, and Hillard Kaplan (Univ of New Mexico) on Human Fathers. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28018]

From the moment of birth, human infants require an inordinate amount of care and, unlike our nearest living relatives, remain dependent on a variety of caretakers during an unusually long maturation period followed by extraordinary adult longevity. How did such a distinctive pattern of development evolve and what other human features are linked to it? Barry Hewlett (Washington State Univ, Vancouver) begins with a discussion on Sharing Childcare and Knowledge in Infancy, followed by Kristen Hawkes (Univ of Utah) on Grandmothers and the Extended Family, and Hillard Kaplan (Univ of New Mexico) on Human Fathers. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28018]

Kristen Hawkes, University of Utah, discusses the grandmother hypothesis, which links the evolution of human longevity to ecological changes that left ancestral youngsters unable to get enough food on their own. Help from grandmothers allowed mothers to bear their next baby sooner while setting novel social problems for both mothers and offspring. These connections link grandmothering not only to the evolution of our long lifespans, but also to other features of human life history, physiology, and behavior. Even if only some are correct, they make human postmenopausal longevity much less of a puzzle after all. But how do we do it? Estrogen is crucial to the maintenance of many physiological systems aside from fertility. Yet ovarian estrogen secretion depends on menstrual cycling which ends at similar ages in all great apes including humans. Like most mammals, other primates display geriatric symptoms while still cycling and rarely survive their fertile years while women remain strong and healthy beyond menopause. The contrast points to non-ovarian sources of estrogen in somatic maintenance. A likely nominee is an adrenal androgen that circulates at a higher level in humans than any other hormone and is estimated to be the precursor for most of the estrogen in women’s peripheral tissues even before menopause. Chimpanzee levels of this steroid are much lower, consistent with the hypothesis that shifts in adrenal function are an important mechanism for slowed aging in our lineage. Comparisons with other apes also reveal intriguing puzzles about somatic maintenance in our closest living relatives. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 24114]

Kristen Hawkes, University of Utah, discusses the grandmother hypothesis, which links the evolution of human longevity to ecological changes that left ancestral youngsters unable to get enough food on their own. Help from grandmothers allowed mothers to bear their next baby sooner while setting novel social problems for both mothers and offspring. These connections link grandmothering not only to the evolution of our long lifespans, but also to other features of human life history, physiology, and behavior. Even if only some are correct, they make human postmenopausal longevity much less of a puzzle after all. But how do we do it? Estrogen is crucial to the maintenance of many physiological systems aside from fertility. Yet ovarian estrogen secretion depends on menstrual cycling which ends at similar ages in all great apes including humans. Like most mammals, other primates display geriatric symptoms while still cycling and rarely survive their fertile years while women remain strong and healthy beyond menopause. The contrast points to non-ovarian sources of estrogen in somatic maintenance. A likely nominee is an adrenal androgen that circulates at a higher level in humans than any other hormone and is estimated to be the precursor for most of the estrogen in women’s peripheral tissues even before menopause. Chimpanzee levels of this steroid are much lower, consistent with the hypothesis that shifts in adrenal function are an important mechanism for slowed aging in our lineage. Comparisons with other apes also reveal intriguing puzzles about somatic maintenance in our closest living relatives. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 24114]