A fascinating peek into the intimate behavior of our animal cousins that provides new insight into the benefits of being...
A lively exploration of “the nitty-gritty of the diverse sex life of animals.”
Bondar—who is the lead presenter on Discovery World’s Brave New World with Stephen Hawking and whose Web series “Wild Sex” has attracted more than 50 million viewers—doesn't overlook the dark side of a fascinating subject that routinely includes fierce competition, cheating, and even rape. She divides her treatment into three major sections: the search for a mate, the sex act itself, and the various strategies for procreation and the raising of viable offspring. While pair-bonding is by no means uncommon in the animal kingdom, “when it comes to finding and having sex in the animal kingdom, it's rare when there isn't some form of trickery involved.” Before the advent of genetic testing, naturalists had falsely assumed that pair-bonding to raise offspring was associated with monogamy. Birds are notoriously sneaky polygamists, and Bondar reports on recent research showing how female mice can internally store the sperm of a number of mates before choosing which she will allow to fertilize her eggs. The author also describes the strange social combat between hermaphroditic earthworms, which engage in “penis-fencing” rituals, attempting “to be the first to stab the other with their razor-sharp penile members…the first successful stabber gets to play the male role.” This leads to Bondar’s provocative discussion of “the ubiquity of homosexual sex that occurs in nature.” The author asserts that homosexuality is simply not unnatural. Bisexuality among nonhumans does not imply homosexuality or same-sex preference, but it can diffuse physical tensions and provide a kind of social glue. As might be expected, she disabuses readers who fantasize about “parenting in the animal kingdom,” which is “a far cry from lullabies and snuggly blankets.” In fact, infanticide is not uncommon.
A fascinating peek into the intimate behavior of our animal cousins that provides new insight into the benefits of being human.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68177-166-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Pegasus
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The Johnstown Flood was one of the greatest natural disasters of all time (actually manmade, since it was precipitated by a wealthy country club dam which had long been the source of justified misgivings). This then is a routine rundown of the catastrophe of May 31st, 1889, the biggest news story since Lincoln's murder in which thousands died. The most interesting incidental: a baby floated unharmed in its cradle for eighty miles.... Perhaps of local interest-but it lacks the Lord-ly touch.
Pub Date: March 18, 1968
ISBN: 0671207148
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1968
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