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When I think about evolution, I think about mostly men’s bodies evolving.

Maybe it’s because every image I’ve ever seen depicts MAN moving from knuckle-dragging primate to upright-standing, prefrontal cortex-wielding Super Species.

But what is the story of women’s bodies?

Deena Emera, PhD, is an evolutionary geneticist, author, and teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from NYU, and a PhD from Yale. She currently serves as a senior scientist at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality. She’s with us this week to talk about her new book, A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be. 

Deena draws on her expertise as a biologist and experience as a mother of four to explore the mysteries of the female body through an evolutionary lens. 

We covered a LOT of territory, including pressing questions like …

• Did our bodies evolve to give us choice in our reproductive systems? (THIS BLEW MY MIND)
• What’s the evolution of the female orgasm? Why is it so different from men’s?
• Why are women more prone to auto-immune diseases?
• Is the “martyr mother” archetype something that evolved because of our biology, or is it the culture at play?

I could not get enough of this conversation … my jaw was on the floor for most of it, so just prepare yourself. ;)

Find Deena on Instagram, Twitter (X?!), or LinkedIn @deenaemera .

Shine on, my friends.