The Red Queen : Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - Matt Ridley

The Red Queen

Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

By: Matt Ridley

Paperback | 6 October 1994 | Edition Number 1

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Sex is as fascinating to scientists as it is to the rest of us. A vast pool of knowledge, therefore, has been gleaned from research into the nature of sex, from the contentious problem of why the wasteful reproductive process exists at all, to how individuals choose their mates and what traits they find attractive. This fascinating book explores those findings, and their implications for the sexual behaviour of our own species. It uses the Red Queen from 'Alice in Wonderland' - who has to run at full speed to stay where she is - as a metaphor for a whole range of sexual behaviours. The book was shortlisted for the 1994 Rhone-Poulenc Prize for Science Books.

'Animals and plants evolved sex to fend off parasitic infection. Now look where it has got us. Men want BMWs, power and money in order to pair-bond with women who are blonde, youthful and narrow-waisted . . . a brilliant examination of the scientific debates on the hows and whys of sex and evolution'. Independent

Industry Reviews
Lewis Carroll's Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, furiously running on the spot just to stay where she is, serves as the perfect metaphor for the evolutionary excess of human sexual intercourse. Ridley unravels the hidden motives behind who and how we desire. (Kirkus UK)

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