Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals
by Robert M. Sapolsky
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert M. SapolskyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-09-15
ISBN: 0743260163
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Scribner
Book Reviews of Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals
Book Review: Fascinating and funny
Summary: 5 Stars
I haven't finished reading a book in a long time... too busy and quickly loosing interest. But Monkeyluv drew me in from the start and now I wish there more essays in it.
As a scientist, I can only marvel at the ease with which Sapolsky describes involved concepts of how our genes interact with our environment and culture, to shape who we are. It's an excellent mix of clear explanation, real experimental data and provocative analysis. References to all his sources are explained at the end of each assay. I am reading this in 2010 and I was unaware of some of the recent (as of 2004) advances in understanding human/ mammalian brain workings. As a biologist (although not a neuroscientist) I was shocked and fascinated.
I think this book is a must for anyone who has ever come to the realization that our "personalities" and "rational free will" are to a great extent a product of genes, environment and culture.
Summary of Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals
How do imperceptibly small differences in the environment change one's behavior? What is the anatomy of a bad mood? Does stress shrink our brains? What does People magazine's list of America's "50 Most Beautiful People" teach us about nature and nurture? What makes one organism sexy to another? What makes one orgasm different from another? Who will be the winner in the genetic war between the sexes?Welcome to Monkeyluv, a curious and entertaining collection of essays about the human animal in all its fascinating variety, from Robert M. Sapolsky, America's most beloved neurobiologist/primatologist. Organized into three sections, each tackling a Big Question in natural science, Monkeyluv offers a lively exploration of the influence of genes and the environment on behavior; the social and political -- and, of course, sexual -- implications of behavioral biology; and society's shaping of the individual. From the mating rituals of prairie dogs to the practice of religion in the rain forest, the secretion of pheromones to bugs in the brain, Sapolsky brilliantly synthesizes cutting-edge scientific research with wry, erudite observations about the enormous complexity of simply being human. Thoughtful, engaging, and infused with pop-cultural insights, this collection will appeal to the inner monkey in all of us.
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