For all that science knows about the living world,
notes David P. Barash, there are even more things that
we don't know, genuine evolutionary mysteries that
perplex the best minds in biology. Paradoxically, many
of these mysteries are very close to home, involving
some of the most personal aspects of being human. Homo
Mysterious examines a number of these evolutionary
mysteries, exploring things that we don't yet know about
ourselves, laying out the best current hypotheses, and
pointing toward insights that scientists are just
beginning to glimpse. Why do women experience orgasm?
Why do men have a shorter lifespan than women? Why does
homosexuality exist? Why does religion exist in
virtually every culture? Why do we have a fondness for
the arts? Why do we have such large brains? And why does
consciousness exist? Readers are plunged into an ocean
of unknowns-the blank spots on the human evolutionary
map, the terra incognita of our own species-and are
introduced to the major hypotheses that currently occupy
scientists who are attempting to unravel each puzzle
(including some solutions proposed here for the first
time). Throughout the book, readers are invited to share
the thrill of science at its cutting edge, a place where
we know what we don't know, and, moreover, where we know
enough to come up with some compelling and seductive
explanations. Homo Mysterious is a guide to creative
thought and future explorations, based on the best, most
current thinking by evolutionary scientists. It captures
the allure of the "not-yet-known" for those interested
in stretching their scientific imaginations.
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