For this Friday edition of the podcast, Dr. Kara Hoover (University of Alaska Fairbanks) talks all about a wide range of topics: the evolution of our sense of smell, human resilience and adaptability, studies of urban geography and social welfare, surveillance and much, much more.

While there are a few labs looking at the question of olfactory evolution using fossil evidence, Kara and her colleagues are using genetic methods to run DNA analyses that may reveal parts of our genomes (and those of Neanderthals and Denisovans) that may relate to scent. She has also done lots of work looking at stresses for humans and how we may conceptualize ideas about our species’ resilience. How important does she see olfaction for humans navigating different ecological contexts? What is the interaction between biological resilience and cultural resilience? What are the applications or greater implications of this research for us living today, especially low-income populations living in urban environments?

We also discuss her latest co-authored book chapter entitled, ‘The Unseen’. From the book, How to Run a City Like Amazon and Other Fables, this short science-fiction story is her colleague Jeremy Crampton’s and her imagination of a not-too-distant future where data-sharing will be near-universal, inspired by recent news stories of data leaks at Cambridge Analytical. We also talk about her latest research looking at surveillance at music festivals, investigating which and whether people have concerns about the degree to which they’re being monitored in this modern epoch.

Listen to our conversation by pressing ‘Play’ on the episode below. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed, or find us on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes or anywhere else you typically find podcasts!

Show notes

If you have feedback or questions for Kara, you can find her on Twitter or her university department page. She has a website, The Smell of Evolution, where she blogs as well.

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