Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation 264
| Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation | |
| author | Olivia Judson |
| pages | 308 |
| publisher | Vintage |
| rating | 9 |
| reviewer | Danny Yee |
| ISBN | 0099283751 |
| summary | the evolutionary biology of sex |
Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation mimics a write-in advice column, in which anthropomorphised animals of all kinds ask for help with their sex lives. That is just the framework, however, for an entertaining tour of the natural history and evolutionary biology of sex. Pretty much every aspect of animal sex is at least touched on, though the "all creation" of the title is an exaggeration -- there's only the occasional reference to plants and bacteria, with nothing (for example) on the fascinating topic of pollination.
The columns are grouped thematically in thirteen chapters, divided into three parts. Part one covers the "expenses" involved in sex, female promiscuity, conflicts between males, and alternative strategies for those who are poor and small. Part two covers sex and cannibalism, sex and violence (male and female), love potions and homosexuality, and monogamy. And part three looks at incest, at hermaphroditism, facultative sex and other variants, and at asexuality and theories for the evolution and persistence of sex.
Each column typically runs to four or five pages, beginning with a question.
Dr. Tatiana never answers directly, but looks around first at other species with similar or related problemsDear Dr. Tatiana,
I'm an Australian redback spider, and I'm a failure. I said to my darling, "Take, eat, this is my body," and I vaulted into her jaws. But she spat me out and told me to get lost. Why did she spurn the ultimate sacrifice?
and sets the question in a broader context"... most guys prefer not to be eaten at all. ... In the scorpion Paruroctonus mesaensis, the male whacks his partner several times before racing off; in the wolf spider Lycosa rabida, the male tosses his lover in the air, leaving her in a crumpled heap as he hurries away.
... In the bristle worm Nereis caudata, something similar goes on but for once it's the man who eats his wife.
... Do other males eat their mates? I have never heard of it. But note: this is not to say males don't eat females. They do. Just not during sex. Platonic cannibalism is a problem for creatures from apes to amoebae. It's depraved out there."
before finishing with the answer, if there is one."... It goes without saying that such a death wish can evolve only in special circumstances. That is, being eaten must mean you leave more offspring than if you are spared. So far, your species is the only one known to meet this criterion. A male redback who gets himself munched fertilizes more eggs than a male who survives. Why? ... it turns out that sex takes longer when she's chewing away on you, which gives you the chance to deliver more sperm and thus fertilize more eggs. So your challenge is to make yourself more appetizing."
Links to many different areas of biology are explored."The secret is picking your moment. Female redbacks aren't greedy; when they're not hungry, they don't eat. If you offer yourself right after she's feasted, forget it. You've got to wait until she gets that mean and hungry look in all eight of her beady little eyes. And then, for what you are about to receive, may your kiddies be truly thankful."
And for those who want to follow up specific topics in the technical literature, there are thirty pages of notes, giving annotated references for each column, with pointers into a forty page bibliography. (Though a short recommended reading list of non-technical popular works on evolution would have been a more useful inclusion for most readers.)"Lysin, the protein that determines whether an abalone sperm can enter an abalone egg, is evolving at record speed. Tantalizingly, abalone are also splitting into new species at a startling rate."
Sex Advice to All Creation assumes no background in biology, and there's the occasional wordy or repetitive explanation. But even scientists for whom the evolutionary biology is old hat are likely to find some new details in the natural history. The chatty tone and the framing conceit of an advice column -- extended in the last chapter to a mock television show -- remain entertaining and decorative, never pushed so far they become annoying or distort the science.
"If you are not a hermaphrodite, incest is best if you come from a species where males have only one set of genes. If you're not a member of such a species, I urge you to avoid sex with your nearest and dearest."
You can purchase Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Speak for yourself... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Speak for yourself... (Score:2, Insightful)
Wait for her... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is some good advice. The best way to get laid is not to pursue, and not to give a shit. If she's interested, let her chase you down. Hell, make her wait. Then when the time is right, BAM! Crazy, hot, dirty monkey sex.
Re:Speak for yourself... (Score:5, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:1, Insightful)
Hey! (Score:2, Insightful)
Nature has its own system of checks and balances (Score:3, Insightful)
But when it comes to humans, I don't get it. I could understand if we, as humans, had to constantly struggle for survival (as a species), but this clearly isn't the case. With 6.5 billion and counting, does continued proliferation ever stop making sense?
A friend tells that a common acquaintance is expecting a fourth. I'm supposed to get excited? I guess families can be nice (though often fraught with dysfunction of one sort or another), but what about the big picture? Is there still something to proving one's verility? What have you proven exactly? And does the mere fact that someone can add to the 6.5 billion already in place, really mean anything?
It's all a "been there done that" proposition in my eyes. I'd rather focus on tending to what we already have, than continue to pile more and more onto the heap.
Is there no justice? (Score:5, Insightful)
The breaking down of taboos surrounding sexuality is the slightly hidden agenda of the book. By presenting, the wide breadth of sexual behavior in the animal kingdom, in such a matter of fact way you become increasingly aware of how limited your own sexual repitoir truly is. The universal truths that you unquestioningly accept such as incest is bad, and females are chaste while men are promiscious are not quite as universal as you have been led to believe and that opens you up to a new way of thinking about the world.
Toward the beginning of the book and near the end Judson lifts her skirt just a little bit and hints at the book's hidden agenda and her personal feelings about sex after writing this whole book about on the topic. What she revealed and what she kept hidden reminded me of that old quote about bikinis, "What it reveals is suggestive, what it conceals is vital". This few paragraphs very effectively communicated to me that Ms Judson was not just a well lettered academic; the very pretty Ms. Judson also understands human sexuality and in particular the art being a seductress. She did this so well that after I finished the book, I had a serious crush on her for several weeks.
Re:Who needs it? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Who needs it? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Having problems with your sex life? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Who needs it? (Score:2, Insightful)
And if all you want is to get your sex kicks semi-regularly, then well, you're set. I don't think I'd be happy with that. Sure, your average stereotypical slashdotter would say "I'd be happy with any sex!" but I think in reality, most of uswant more than that.
Many of us prefer meaningful relationships with our sex. I treat my girl with respect and dignity, and I get a loving, happy relationship. AND regular, good sex. The great thing is, the loving relationship makes the sex more meaningful, and the good sex makes our relationship closer.
Sure, it's not a new woman every week, but I'll take a meaningful relationship and a close friend over variety. I think most people, if they really admit it to themselves, would agree.
Re:Speak for yourself... (Score:3, Insightful)
I think we need more truth in advertising for young geeks considering a career in engineering: "I want to be an engineer... sex can wait!" [blogware.com]