Episode

"Who Got Breasts First and How We Got Them" by rba

Podcast
LessWrong (Curated & Popular)
Published
Jun 30, 2026
Duration seconds
1272
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not_requested
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https://www.buzzsprout.com/2037297/episodes/19423083-who-got-breasts-first-and-how-we-got-them-by-rba.mp3
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https://www.buzzsprout.com/2037297/episodes/19423083-who-got-breasts-first-and-how-we-got-them-by-rba.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/lesswrong-curated-popular-5643401/episodes/who-got-breasts-first-and-how-we-got-them-by-rba
Markdown
/podcast/lesswrong-curated-popular-5643401/who-got-breasts-first-and-how-we-got-them-by-rba.md

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Summary

It really is Sydney Sweeney's world, and we’re all just living in it. Human female breasts are an evolutionary mystery along several dimensions. First, breast permanence is unique to humans. All other mammals develop breast prominence during pregnancy or nursing, and the mammary tissue recedes after weaning. This process is called “involution”. In contrast, humans develop breast tissue at puberty before first pregnancies and maintain it permanently after last pregnancies. Second, breasts...