PhysiologyJanuary 1, 2023
New Human Metabolism Research Upends Conventional Wisdom about How We Burn Calories
Metabolism studies reveal surprising insights into how we burn calories—and how cooperative food production helped Homo sapiens flourish
Stories by Herman Pontzer
Herman Pontzer is a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. He studies how evolution has shaped human physiology and health. He is author of Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Stay Healthy, and Lose Weight (Avery, 2021).
EvolutionJanuary 1, 2019
Humans Evolved to Exercise
Unlike our ape cousins, humans require high levels of physical activity to be healthy
EvolutionFebruary 1, 2017
The Exercise Paradox
Studies of how the human engine burns calories help to explain why physical activity does little to control weight—and how our species acquired some of its most distinctive traits