From The Diet Food We Eat To Why Men Cheat, An Evolutionary Biologist Argues Misconceptions Abound

From popular diets that encourage us to eat like our ancestors to the idea that a man who cheats can blame his behavior on his DNA, misconceptions about evolution abound, argues evolutionary biologist Marlene Zuk on the latest edition of Update-1, the National Press Club podcast. In reality, she says, evolution is not synonymous with progress; it has no goal and no endpoint. Efforts to emulate our ancestors, then, are often misguided, says Zuk, a professor of ecology, evolution and behavior at the University of Minnesota who was in Washington for the American Psychological Association’s annual convention. Zuk is also a writer who has been published in various newspapers and magazines. Her most recent book is “Paleofantasy: What evolution really tells us about Sex, Diet and How We Live.”