Mechanics of sex

After having sex with the queen bee in mid-air, the male bee’s penis breaks off and stays inside the queen bee. He falls to the ground and dies within a couple of hours.

Japanese macaques are lesbi­ans.

Goats engage in oral sex.

But this isn’t a column about sex in the animal kingdom, though that could be a topic for a later column.

No, this one is about the amaz­ing book I’ve just finished read­ing called How Sex Works by Dr. Sharon Moalem. Released ear­lier this year, Dr. Moalem’s book uses several examples of animal sexual behaviour to illustrate why humans do the things they do.

According to Dr. Moalem, ho­mosexuality is prevalent in many species, not just humans — al­though you won’t find too many textbooks or schools teaching you that fact.

Evolution drives humans to have sex and reproduce. Homosexual couples can’t re­produce, so why do humans and animals engage in homosexual activity?

Dr. Moalem highlights differ­ent theories and various studies that have been done, to explain homosexuality and why it isn’t an anomaly or just nurture vs. nature.

In the most technical chapter, the good doctor explains DSD, or disorders of sexual develop­ment. These are defined by peo­ple who are not the gender they appear to be.

Before you rush to label them hermaphrodites, know that that term is completely incorrect. Hermaphrodites are people with both ovarian and testicular tissue, which is extremely rare.

Males and females born with ambiguous or underdeveloped genitalia are more common and encounter all sorts of difficulties regarding diagnosis and treat­ment for their disorder. It’s en­lightening in light of the recent controversy surrounding the South African athlete, Caster Semenya, and her failing her gender test.

The most sobering chapter in this book had to be “Tainted Love.” While the literature is out there explaining every STI and why it is so important to protect yourself, Dr. Moalem explains it well, clearly stating how easy it is for anyone, regardless of sex, age or ethnicity to be infected.

It was also very interesting to read her perspective and the opinions of others on human papillomavirus. While many of us are aware of HPV in light of the recent vaccine and aware­ness campaign, it was a shock to learn it is the most common STI but the least known.

Have you seen those syphi­lis ads around campus and across the city? Featuring two hot Calgarians and some fancy fonts. Its message is important because no one in their right mind would want to ignore hav­ing syphilis.

Dr. Moalem explains the his­tory of the disease and how im­portant it is to protect oneself and be tested. Herpes is another one you want to watch out for. That herpes virus is one tough bugger.

Don’t hesitate to pick up this book even if you’re thinking this might not be the entertaining read you’re looking for. Even in learning about chromosomes, I’ve had difficulties reading this book for the same reasons as reading studies on orgasms.

I’ve wanted to have sex this whole week. Which is normal but the book didn’t help. It’s like intelligent porn.

The book begins by first ex­plaining female puberty and then male puberty, though the main focus is on penises. In one of the most cringe-worthy pas­sages of the book it explains how you can fracture your penis (don’t masturbate with a vacu­um please).

The book covers attraction: what we’re attracted to and why. It explains how smell plays such a huge factor and why, especial­ly for females. It also discusses how homosexual men and wom­en smell differently than hetero­sexuals.

The book touches on how when women are ovulating they are more likely to dress attrac­tively and look for more than one partner, generally one who fits the tall, dark and handsome stereotype.

According to Dr. Moalem, women will choose a partner who may not fit that bill as a long-term partner but when it comes to reproducing, women want the most masculine can­didate out there.

And while our current ob­session seems to be stick-thin women, men don’t want to re­produce with them because it’s the curvaceous ones who are more fertile and better able to carry children.

While this book explains all those biological and evolution­ary reasons why we do what we do, the most important thing to remember is that we have a choice. But in order to make the best choice it’s important to have an understanding of why our bodies work the way they do. So get in the know and start reading.