Unlock the secrets of our evolutionary past and discover why modern convenience is a double-edged sword in the battle of the bulge. With the expertise of Dr. Eldakar steeped in human evolution research, he navigates the perplexing reasons our bodies hoard fat with ease yet begrudge every ounce of muscle. This seminar is an eye-opening journey through the biological underpinnings of our instinctual drive for energy conservation—a survival trait that now plays out as a relentless struggle with weight in an age where elevators trump stairs and fast food is just around the corner. Dr. Omar Tonsi Eldakar is an evolutionary biologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at NSU Florida. Dr. Eldakar earned his PhD from Binghamton University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Insect Science at the University of Arizona. He maintains diverse research interests in adaptive behavior and physiology ranging from sexual conflict in insects, cooperation and conflict in bacteria, contagious and spontaneous yawning, to human evolution and athletic performance.