Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

Whether being quietly excluded from clinical trials for their inconvenient complexity or sidelined in evolutionary theories owing to presumptions of premodern patriarchy, women’s bodies have been consistently and illogically placed to the side of human scientific narratives, even those centered on questions of species reproduction. In her incisive debut, Bohannon, a researcher as well as creative writer, convincingly implores scientists to do better—first by calling out the consequences of such bias on public health and then by suggesting what a study of human evolution might look like if told through the lens of a woman’s body. This incredibly effective approach takes listeners on an eye-opening journey into the impacts of other “Eves,” species from the past whose bodies shaped human experience. Bohannon is the ideal narrator, pairing humorous examples with serious questions and never swerving from intersections with sensitive issues. Listeners leave feeling more enlightened, more energized, and more convinced than ever of the value of women’s bodies to society’s understanding of humanity’s potential.