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Bezig met laden... The Dawn of the Deed: The Prehistoric Origins of Sex (editie 2012)door John A. Long
Informatie over het werkThe Dawn of the Deed: The Prehistoric Origins of Sex door John A. Long
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. I can’t say enough about this book. It’s funny, it’s smart, and, yes, it’s sexy. It can also get scary. Insects, ducks, and sharks, oh my! They are frightening when they do the deed. Also, there are a couple typos, like ‘to the deed’ instead of ‘do the deed’, but only a couple that I noticed, and not enough to knock off even half a star. John Long is far more than a competent writer; he’s a competent storyteller, which I don’t normally say about non-fiction writers. But then again, Long doesn’t confine himself to a linear narrative, nor does he only care about listing facts. (Please note that truth and facts are of tantamount importance to him, and you can tell this even when he talks about the research that he did for the book. However, he seems in it to entertain, as well, throwing around cheeky wordplay, and real life funny moments, and this is what I mean.) I never found myself wishing to get to a linear story for two reasons. The first was that I laughed so much, so even stories that seemed like tangents weren’t bothersome or something to skim through until he got to his line of thought. The other reason was that after a couple chapters, I started to get the feeling that Long tied everything together, and that everything would be relevant in the end. (I felt it was in the end.) This is a story about Long finding fossils that show the start of copulation, but it’s intertwined with stories of sexual habits of all sorts of creatures in the modern day world. It’s informative, funny, and also doesn’t bog you down with too many technical terms. (Most are explained. In a rare case of cultural misunderstanding, I was thrilled to discover a dork was a whale penis, only to be disappointed by the revelation that dork is, in fact, Australian slang for a penis in general. I was gonna call all my dorky friends whale penis, and chortle when they looked at me funny, but luckily a friend pointed out that I’d be making a massive fool out of myself. Thank you for the intervention.) What is most impressive about the book is the sheer scale of it, which would have intimidated me had I known about it before I started. This book doesn’t just tackle the origins of sex, it tackles the whole evolution of sex. It uses examples from the present, and similarities to fossilized animals, to explain why our best guess is most likely how those animals mated in the past. Also, I have to say I love Long for not being pompous about his finds. He admits, in a couple places, that we will continue to find out more and more about dinosaurs as more fossils are revealed and studied with more depth, and technology that continues to advance. I get the feeling that if he were to be proved wrong, he would take it with aplomb based on the fact that he mentions this multiple times, and came off as rather humble when waiting to hear if his discovery would be published. They were important finds, and colleagues have said so, important institutions have made this clear, but he never came off as a braggart, or someone who had to be correct all the time. (In fact, I get the feeling he would be gracious if he were ever to disproved. I don’t think he will, at least not in our lifetimes, as he also came off as far too meticulous not to do as much research as possible before publishing.) geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
We all know about the birds and the bees, but what about the ancient placoderm fishes and the dinosaurs? The history of sex is as old as life itself--and as complicated and mysterious. And despite centuries of study there is always more to know. In 2008, paleontologist John A. Long and a team of researchers revealed their discovery of a placoderm fish fossil, known as "the mother fish," which at 380 million years old revealed the oldest vertebrate embryo--the earliest known example of internal fertilization. As Long explains, this find led to the reexamination of countless fish fossils and the discovery of previously undetected embryos. As a result, placoderms are now considered to be the first species to have had intimate sexual reproduction or sex as we know it--sort of. Inspired by this incredible find, Long began a quest to uncover the paleontological and evolutionary history of copulation and insemination. In The Dawn of the Deed, he takes readers on an entertaining and lively tour through the sex lives of ancient fish and exposes the unusual mating habits of arthropods, tortoises, and even a well-endowed (16.5 inches!) Argentine Duck. Long discusses these significant discoveries alongside what we know about reproductive biology and evolutionary theory, using the fossil record to provide a provocative account of prehistoric sex. The Dawn of the Deed also explores fascinating revelations about animal reproduction, from homosexual penguins to monogamous seahorses to the difficulties of dinosaur romance and how sexual organs in ancient shark-like fishes actually relate to our own sexual anatomy. The Dawn of the Deed is Long's own story of what it's like to be a part of a discovery that rewrites evolutionary history as well as an absolutely rollicking guide to sex throughout the ages in the animal kingdom. It's natural history with a naughty wink. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)573.6Natural sciences and mathematics Life Sciences, Biology Physiological systems in animals AnthopometryLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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The author is an Australian scientist who led the team that discovered the earliest penis on record, so you know you're reading an expert's opinion. While still having a scientific base, much of Dawn of the Deed is either laugh out loud funny, so unexpected that one has to reread paragraphs to ensure you've understood it, or both. ( )