How Women Got Their Curves and Other Just-So Stories: Evolutionary Enigmas

This husband-and-wife team, respectively an evolutionary biologist and a psychiatrist specializing in women's health, have written a delightful, thought-provoking volume on perennial questions about female biology. Each of five chapters centers on one question: why do women menstruate? why is ovulation hidden? what's the evolutionary function of the female breast? is there an evolutionary explanation for the female orgasm? and why does menopause occur? Barash and Lipton acknowledge there are no definitive answers to any of these questions. What they do so very well is offer numerous hypotheses along with ideas on how to test them. For example, they propose that the female orgasm might, among other possibilities, facilitate fertilization, serve as a copulatory reward, encourage monogamy or reduce infanticide. Along the way, they present a large amount of accessible information about biology, psychology, physiology and anatomy. Even more important, they demonstrate how scientists work to create and assess hypotheses while having a great deal of fun. They also show how science slowly but inexorably pushes back the darkness surrounding complex issues and how evolutionary theory can help us understand all aspects of human biology. Photos. (May)