"Monkeyluv"

-by Robert M. Sapolsky
2006
Saplolsky is a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford, and has done extensive field study of primates. He's funny and accessible. He writes about how current science is demonstating that genetic expression is a malleable thing, prone to environmentally-influenced changes throughout the life of an individual. He points up the illogic in our fear of cloning, as clones have lived among us since humanity began (identical twins). We learn about male fruit flies, who mate with a female only once, and whose semen contains toxins that kill the sperm of any future males copulating with his ex...unfortunately, these toxins impair her health, so she produces anti-toxins, which, if too strong, can kill all sperm (if you think that's interesting but has nothing to do with you, there's a placental parallel in humans). We learn why the chase is more compelling than the consummation. We learn about how humans are not the most evolved species around (nor the cleverest). We learn how the male autonomic nervous system seems to recover back to baseline more quickly in men than in women (if you were ever wondering why women seem to stew longer...). We learn that multiple sclerosis is one of the very few diseases with a reverse SES gradient (i.e. a rich person's disease). We learn that females seem to be as stupid as males, in treating certain other females preferentially just because they're cute. Many other nifty things are to be found...not least of which, for this writer, the knowledge that being a non-firstborn with a contentious father-relationship, makes one likely to embrace novelty long after most other humans have stopped doing so.
Two previous pieces that attest to my regard for this book:
http://nakedmeadow.blogspot.com/2010/10/chase.html
http://nakedmeadow.blogspot.com/2010/10/judeo-christian-muslim-morality.html