SoS 238: Rethinking the obstetric dilemma with Anna Warrener

Host Courtney Manthey unpack the obstetric dilemma with Dr. Anna G. Warrener. Dr. Anna G. Warrener earned her PhD from Washington University in St. Louis in 2012. She is now an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado Denver. She specializes in human evolutionary biology, biomechanics, and the evolution of locomotion. Her research explores how skeletal morphology influences movement, with a particular focus on the biomechanics of the pelvis, gait, and bipedal efficiency. Through experimental and comparative approaches, Dr. Warrener investigates how evolutionary pressures have shaped human locomotion and what these adaptations reveal about our ancestors. She is also passionate about mentoring students and fostering interdisciplinary research that bridges anthropology, biology, and biomechanics. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Warrener, A. (2023). The multifactor pelvis: An alternative to the adaptationist approach of the obstetrical dilemma. Evolutionary Anthropology, 32(5), 260-274. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.21997 Warrener, A. (2024). Human lower limb muscle cross sectional area scales with positive allometry reflecting bipedal evolutionary history. Frontiers in Earth Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1301411 ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Courtney Manthey, Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Anahi Ruderman, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @ani_ruderman