Dr Cara Ocobock, PhD | Humans at Extremes: Biological Underpinnings of our Evolution

To understand our physiology and health today, it’s critical to look back - a long way - at our evolution, not only to inform our now, but to better understand which mechanisms we may need to sustain us in the face of our changing world. Dr Cara Ocobock is an evolutionary anthropology encyclopaedia, an enthusiastic academic, and an incredibly engaging listen.In this episode, Dr Cara helps us to understand some of the interactions between our physiology, our evolution and our environments. In Cara’s work with reindeer herders in Finland, she explores physiological and behavioural mechanisms required to cope and adapt to extreme climates and activity. We discuss her findings into brown adipose tissue (BAT or brown fat), metabolic health, male/female differences, the potential drivers of metabolically healthy obesity, and the role of oestrogen in the body (spoiler: gents - you need this too!)Find Cara:[email protected]‘Cara Ocobock’ Twitter, Bluesky, ThreadsCara also has a podcast of her own disseminating innovative research in the field - Sausage of Science----------------------------------------------------------------------Mentioned in this podcast:Jeremy DeSilvaMilford WolpuffHerman PontzerUniversity of LaplandUniversity of OuluStudies mentioned in this podcast:Maximal sustained energy budgets in humans and animalsCommentary - fat but fit…and cold?More of Cara’s work:Human Energy Expenditure in Anthropology and BeyondHuman Bodies in Extreme EnvironmentsHuman cold adaptation: An unfinished agenda v2.0Brown adipose tissue thermogenesis among a small sample of reindeer herders from sub-Arctic FinlandBetween a rock and a cold place: Neanderthal biocultural cold adaptations----------------------------------------------------------------------Want to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.