The Shortest History of Sex

December 18, 2023
In this amusing romp, science historian Baker (The Shortest History of the Universe) uses sex-themed irreverence to lure casual readers into learning about the evolution of Homo sapiens from early rudimentary organisms into modern humans. The mating behaviors of humanity’s ancestors (from hermaphroditic worms through bipedal Australopithecines) gave rise, in Baker’s vivid telling, to biological and cultural traits which remain ingrained in humans today (such as the production of sperm, which originated in the worms, and the favoring of missionary style sex by the Australopithecines). Highlighting remarkable reproductive advances, such as the reptilian amniotic egg and the mammalian orgasm, Baker provides clear diagrams and explanations of how these modifications benefited the species that developed and inherited them. (He also pinpoints developments that remain poorly understood: “The evolution of the external penis is still something of a mystery.... It seems evolutionarily counterintuitive to have one’s sex organs dangling in the open.”) While the examination of sexual politics sometimes turns serious (Baker notes that rape remains rampant in human as well as chimpanzee communities), the goal here is to entertain. Chapter subtitles abound with innuendo (the second chapter’s subtitle announces that herein the worms begin “69ing”), and the cheeky delivery of serious scientific research helps the narrative speed through the millennia. It’s a frisky look into humanity’s messy origins.