Latest news with #Adaptable
RNZ News
a day ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Feature Interview: Herman Pontzer
It may seem unfair that some people can eat anything without putting on weight, get by on just a few hours sleep and age ever so gracefully. It's just biology and the science of adaptation says Dr Herman Pontzer, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. Dr Pontzer invites us to embrace human diversity and focus on how and why we differ as a way to better understand how our bodies work so we can all stay healthy. His new book is called Adaptable: How Your Unique Body Really Works and Why Our Biology Unites Us. He joins Jesse. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Economist
30-04-2025
- Health
- Economist
What people get wrong about metabolism—an interview with Herman Pontzer
Do you run, cycle or swim to lose weight? Herman Pontzer, an evolutionary anthropologist who specialises in understanding how humans use energy, thinks you're probably wasting your time. His idea of the 'exercise paradox' suggests that the amount of energy people use in a day is constrained (by evolution) and that exercising more doesn't end up burning more calories. Figuring out why our bodies work like this is part of Prof Pontzer's bigger project to map out and better understand how evolution has shaped variations in human biology. Hosts: Alok Jha, The Economist 's science and technology editor. Contributor: Herman Pontzer, professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University and the author of 'Burn' and 'Adaptable'.
