evolution |

How Female Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution June 4, 2013

Category: Sexuality & Desire, The Mind & Neuroscience

Female orgasm, concealed ovulation, and the biology of attraction get a lively treatment as Armand DiMele revisits recorded programs made with co-presenter Roberta Ati. Drawing on evolutionary biology and anthropology, they walk through three competing theories of why human females experience orgasm and how women hiding estrus may have saved the species.

The Dopaminergic Mind with Dr. Fred Previck November 21, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Fred Previck

Category: Meaning, Spirituality & Philosophy, The Mind & Neuroscience

Dopamine, not brain size or specific genes, is what made us human. Dr. Fred Previck, MD, author of a book on the dopaminergic mind, walks Armand DiMele through how dopamine drove language, working memory, abstract thought, and civilization itself, and why its runaway modern excess now threatens the very societies it built.

What Depression Is For March 4, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele

Category: Depression & Mood, Meaning, Spirituality & Philosophy

Depression may not be a malfunction but a feature. Armand DiMele draws on Darwin, Aristotle, and evolutionary psychologists to argue that rumination and low mood serve real purposes: protecting us from greater pain, spurring creative insight, and forcing honest self-examination. Callers share how accepting depression freed them.

The Dopaminergic Mind with Dr. Fred Previck November 10, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Fred Previck

Category: Meaning, Spirituality & Philosophy, The Mind & Neuroscience

What made humans human? Dr. Fred Previck, MD, cognitive neuroscientist and author, argues that a dramatic expansion of dopamine in the brain drove our species to language, abstract thought, strategic planning, and civilization itself. Armand DiMele traces the arc from early hominids to modern society, asking whether our dopaminergic drive is now outpacing our wisdom.

The Science of Kissing February 6, 2008

Host: Armand DiMele

Category: Sexuality & Desire, The Mind & Neuroscience

Kissing is far more than romance. Armand DiMele unpacks the neuroscience and evolutionary biology behind kissing, covering pheromones, genetic compatibility signals, oxytocin, and why a single kiss can determine whether a relationship has a future.

Monogamy as a Biological Strategy with Roberta Mariotti January 31, 2007

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Mariotti

Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

Monogamy is a theory without a practice, argues Armand DiMele alongside biologist Roberta Mariotti. They unpack genetic, sexual, and social monogamy, explore why no species is truly monogamous, and discuss polyamory and the emotional baggage no relationship structure can dissolve.

Why Breasts Captivate Us September 20, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele

Category: Identity & The Self, Sexuality & Desire

Why did breasts become so central to human attraction? Armand and his co-host trace the evolutionary argument that breasts function as a permanent frontal fertility signal, then connect breast implants and body obsession to deeper anxieties about aging, control, and early maternal bonds.

Creativity and Human Evolution April 19, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Ante

Category: Personal Growth & Change, The Mind & Neuroscience

Creativity may be the defining trait that separates humans from other animals, and modern research suggests it has been actively selected for through both natural and sexual selection. Armand DiMele and Roberta Maria Ante argue that suppressed creativity could be a root cause of depression, and that beauty and artistic expression hold untapped healing potential.

The Evolutionary Roots of Depression with Roberta Maria Acchi April 5, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Acchi

Category: Depression & Mood, The Mind & Neuroscience

Depression may be a biological strategy shaped by evolution, not merely a pathology. Armand DiMele and guest Roberta Maria Acchi examine rank theory, the biochemistry of winning and losing, why men hide depression, how oppressed groups are kept docile, and how blocked creative potential rewires the nervous system toward low mood.

Stress Poverty and Neurogenesis February 1, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Christine Ulrich, Elizabeth Gould, Roberta Maria Atin, Ronald Duman

Category: Personal Growth & Change, The Mind & Neuroscience

Can the brain actually grow new cells, and does stress physically prevent it? Armand and molecular biologist Christine Ulrich examine neurogenesis research from Princeton and Yale, explaining how chronic stress and poverty reshape brain anatomy, and why doing something new every day may matter more than we think.