JRE 1665 · June 27, 2024

Carole Hooven

sciencebiologypsychologyphilosophyhealth

Who is Carole Hooven?

Carole Hooven is an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University. Her new book, "T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us", will be available July 13.

Topics and Timestamps

01Carole Hooven is an evolutionary biologist at Harvard discussing her new book 'T: The Story of Testosterone'
02Testosterone's role in biological sex differences and how it affects behavior, aggression, and competition
03The distinction between sex and gender and why biological differences matter in scientific discussions
04How testosterone influences physical traits like muscle mass, bone density, and athletic performance
05The political pushback against discussing biological sex differences in academia and science
06Evolutionary biology perspective on why testosterone exists and its function across human development
▶Introduction to testosterone and evolutionary biology0:00:00
▶Carole explains the physiological effects of testosterone on male and female bodies0:15:00
▶Discussion of biological sex versus gender and why the distinction matters scientifically0:35:00
▶Academic pressure and institutional resistance to discussing biological sex differences1:00:00
▶Practical implications of testosterone in sports, medicine, and human performance1:45:00

The Show

In JRE 1665, Joe sits down with Harvard evolutionary biologist Carole Hooven to discuss her upcoming book 'T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us,' releasing July 13. Hooven brings serious scientific credentials to a topic that's become increasingly contentious in modern culture wars.

The conversation centers on testosterone as a biological hormone with real, measurable effects on human physiology and behavior. Hooven breaks down how testosterone influences everything from muscle development and bone density to aggression and competitive behavior. She explains the evolutionary reasons testosterone exists and why it's so dramatically different between males and females, grounded in reproductive biology and natural selection.

What makes this episode particularly interesting is how Hooven navigates the minefield of discussing biological sex differences without getting caught up in political ideology. She's careful to distinguish between biological sex, which is real and measurable, and gender identity, which is a separate social construct. But she's also not willing to pretend that testosterone doesn't create significant physiological differences that matter in contexts like sports, medicine, and military applications.

The episode touches on the institutional pressure within academia to avoid certain conversations about biology. Hooven discusses how even mentioning that biological sex differences exist can trigger backlash, which she sees as counterproductive to actual scientific discourse. She's written this book partly because she believes the public needs access to solid scientific information about testosterone that isn't filtered through ideological lenses.

Joe and Carole discuss the practical implications of testosterone in real-world contexts. They talk about athletic performance, sexual dimorphism, and why understanding testosterone matters for medicine and public health. The conversation stays grounded in evolutionary biology rather than devolving into culture war talking points, though Joe definitely doesn't shy away from poking at the absurdity of denying basic biological realities.