Speaking of Sex...

Join anthropologist David Puts as we explore the origins of human sexuality by looking at the evolution of sexual differences in the human voice.

The roar of the male lion may indeed scare away his rivals, but it might also attract female lions looking for a dominant mate. This is sexual selection in action! The lion with the mighty roar might have a few more opportunities to pass along his genes than the lion with the less impressive voice.

Scientists have found that studying the human voice is also a good way to gain insight into human sexual selection.  The human voice is highly differentiated between the sexes, and the differences are easily quantifiable. Thus it is an ideal model for understanding the evolutionary processes behind our sexual selection.

Why do human males often have deep voices? What does the human female voice signal to potential mates?

Speaker: David Puts

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