Origin Stories

Learn about the evolution of our extraordinary ability to cool ourselves down. Biological anthropologist Andrew Best discusses the past, present, and future of sweat in this special bonus episode.

About our guest

Dr. Andrew Best is a biological anthropologist at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts who studies metabolism, endurance, and the evolution of sweat. Visit his website to learn more about him and his research.

Click here for a one-minute video about his Leakey Foundation-supported research project on the evolution of sweat glands.

Episode Transcript

• Google Doc Transcript
• PDF Transcript

Links to more sweaty science 

• The science of sweat
• Giving sweat the respect it deserves 
• The weird science of how sweat attracts 

Open access research papers of interest

• Human Locomotion and Heat Loss: An Evolutionary Perspective
• Repeated mutation of a developmental enhancercontributed to human thermoregulatory evolution

Credits

This episode was produced by Ray Pang. To keep up with and learn more about his work, follow Ray at @PangRay on Twitter. 

Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Meredith Johnson is the host and executive producer of Origin Stories.

Music by Henry Nagle and Lee Roservere.

Send us your questions!

Have a question about human evolution? Something you've always wondered about? We will find a scientist to answer it on a special episode of Origin Stories!

There are three ways to submit your question:

• Leave a voicemail at +1(707) 788-8582
• Visit speakpipe.com/originstories and leave a message
• Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to us at originstories@leakeyfoundation.org

The Leakey Foundation

Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach.

All donations to support the podcast will be quadruple-matched thanks to Jeanne Newman and the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Visit leakeyfoundation.org/donate and use the notes field to let us know your donation is in support of Origin Stories.

Lunch Break Science

Lunch Break Science is The Leakey Foundation's web series featuring short talks and interviews with Leakey Foundation grantees. Episodes stream live on the first and third Thursdays of every month. Sign up for event reminders and watch past episodes at leakeyfoundation.org/live!