The Jen Marples Show for Midlife Women

A Brief History of the Female Body with Deena Emera, PhD

Jen Marples Episode 128

Today, we’re breaking down pregnancy, parenting, orgasms, menopause, and more with Deena Emera, PhD, evolutionary geneticist and author of A Brief History of the Female Body.

Deena has spent much of her career studying the evolution of female reproduction. Her book 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.

As you can see, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss! I learned so much during our discussion, and I might be a little embarrassed by HOW many times I said the word: fascinating! But, alas, you WILL be fascinated by our in-depth discussion around menopause, the Grandmother Hypothesis, female vs. male orgasms (and the great debate on why we have them!), how evolution sheds light on how we parent, and how our kids interact, how and why women are prone to certain diseases. It’s so informative - and I firmly believe that the more we know, the better, as it helps us live a higher quality life today and into the future.

Deena Emera, Ph.D, 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. 

Deena and I discuss:

  • Female evolution and how it impacts our health today.
  • Understanding pregnancy and how it evolved.
  • How evolution informs parenting & sibling relationships.
  • How breasts in humans differ from those in other species. 
  • Orgasms and the debate around why women have them.
  • How and why we experience menopause.


Enjoy this fascinating (there I said it again! and informative conversation about our bodies.

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Learn more about Jen Marples at https://www.jenmarples.com/ 


Unedited AI Transcript Here


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A Brief History of the Female Body by Dr. Deena Emera (Amazon)

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