Alex Hutchinson is Outside’s longtime Sweat Science columnist, covering the latest scientific research on endurance, fitness, and health. He previously wrote about adventure travel for the New York Times and earned a National Magazine Award for his energy reporting at Popular Mechanics. Before becoming a journalist, he was a long-distance runner for the Canadian national team, earned a PhD in physics from the University of Cambridge, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in quantum computing at the National Security Agency. His 2018 book Endure was a New York Times bestseller, and his latest book is The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map. He lives in Toronto with his family.