The book has an interesting premise, but is backed up by somewhat dubious science. The authors' basic claim is that humans' closest relative--at leastThe book has an interesting premise, but is backed up by somewhat dubious science. The authors' basic claim is that humans' closest relative--at least when it comes to our sex lives--is the polyamorous, relatively egalitarian bonobo. I'm on board with that idea if science backs it up, but the authors don't provide very convincing evidence. Also, they cite a few human societies which allegedly hew closer to a free-love like state--but when I talked to an anthropologist friend who studied one of them for her PhD, she said the notion that they are matriarchal, sexually open, and promiscuous was actually overblown. That doesn't mean I buy the idea of humans as monogamous, patriarchal, and inherently jealous either. I'm just skeptical of evo-psych and attempts to ferret out our true "human nature"--usually they are really only reflective of the authors' personal morality or worldview usually try to justify what should be allowed based on what is "natural." ...more
I read this book early in college. As always, it is amusing to read about crazy physicists and their amusing, idiot-savant-ish exploits. I particularlI read this book early in college. As always, it is amusing to read about crazy physicists and their amusing, idiot-savant-ish exploits. I particularly liked the part about how Heisenberg almost failed his Phd exam when someone asked him how a battery worked. Oh, those theoretical physicists! Always so charmingly obtuse about practical matters!...more
"What makes a man?" Flam, a science writer who pens a sex column for The Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia Inquirer, seeks a scientific answer to thi"What makes a man?" Flam, a science writer who pens a sex column for The Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia Inquirer, seeks a scientific answer to this often-asked question. Her search takes her from a seduction boot camp for men to the labs of evolutionary biologists, sociologists and physiologists who study gender differences.
From mushrooms with 30,000 sexes to sea worms that compete to be the male, Flam surveys the natural world to explain why human males evolved the way they did, revealing a riotous diversity in the way life begets life. While human males have one X and one Y chromosome Y chromosome, for instance, the oddball male platypus platypus carries five of each kind. Male squid inject females with sperm packages that burst out of her skin to fertilize the egg, while male sea urchins broadcast sperm into the ocean, never knowing whose eggs they may reach.
Flam contends that the fundamental reproductive imbalance between males and females shapes the way men seek love, take risks and view the world--and drives evolutionary strategies.
The Score sometimes flirts with gender essentialism essentialism, and the link between other male animals and modern man can often be tenuous. Men may prefer younger women, for instance, but male chimpanzees go wild for older females. While the book may not definitively say what makes a man, it offers a few entertaining clues, capturing the weird and the wacky without being fluffy.--Tia Ghose ...more
I enjoyed the book, but it was basically a mashup of the latest medical studies that have been in the news lately, without enough skepticism about theI enjoyed the book, but it was basically a mashup of the latest medical studies that have been in the news lately, without enough skepticism about the applicability of their results....more
An autobiography of a brilliant woman who suffered from manic depression (she resists the more watered down label "bipolar" because she thinks it hideAn autobiography of a brilliant woman who suffered from manic depression (she resists the more watered down label "bipolar" because she thinks it hides the essential nature of the disease.) She made it through a PhD in psychology and became one of the foremost authorities in her field before finally getting the consistent treatment she needed. Just seeing how she was able to achieve such professional success while privately dealing with such hellish, frightening moments of near insanity is enough to be massively impressed.
If you've ever looked at the world and thought it was so full of amazing things that you couldn't sleep for days, or alternatively, if you've ever spent days just imagining every single living thing on the earth dying slowly (I believe she actually describes compulsively thinking of this during high school), then the feelings aren't that new. But she paints a cohesive picture of what it's like to live as a never-ending captive to these see-sawing feelings. She also gives clear insight into why people may resist taking medicine that dulls their manic moments, because they may feel so much more alive, productive, and vibrant during these spells. ...more
This book is a strange combination of poetry and clinical diagnosis. The book details the lives/outcomes of patients who have suffered some kind of brThis book is a strange combination of poetry and clinical diagnosis. The book details the lives/outcomes of patients who have suffered some kind of brain damage. In one story, he chronicles two men who have their long term memory obliterated by alcoholism. In another, he describes a woman who regained memories after a stroke. The stories are funny, heartwarming, depressing, or just plain sad. While the clinical details are fascinating (by seeing what a brain that's all wonky does, you can get a feel for how your brain works, yo!), what makes this book unique is that it is infused with an awareness of how fragile and beautiful our humanity is. The stories are told with compassion, devoid of the voyeuristic, prurient gaze I find so often in more cold blooded clinical histories. ...more
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