The joys of a detachable wHaT??

With the appearance of spring, I have been noticing new couples and flirtations come alive after being dormant in the gloomy days of winter. When out with my girlfriend and her new beau last night, it was all the more apparent as the third wheel! This is not the first time that during this time of year, I've noticed an increased flirtation and coupling among my friends and I do wonder if there is an evolutionary reason for the heightened activity.

The woman who could probably give me a definitive answer is evolutionary biologist and award winning science journalist, Olivia Judson. Her first book was entitled Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to all Creation. It uses a playful literary tool to elucidate the evolutionary components of sex. The book sets up the chapters as advice columns. One such insect from the book complains:

"Dear Dr. Tatiana - My name's Twiggy and I'm a stick insect. It's with great embarrassment that I write to you while copulating, but my mate and I have been copulating for ten weeks already. I am bored out of my skull, but he shows no signs of flagging. He says it's because he's madly in love with me, but I think he's just plain mad. How can I get him to quit? - Sick of Sex in India".*

By anthropomorphizing animals and posing questions as a catalyst, Judson is able to fuel a fascinating outlet to dive into some of the racier sides of sex and really investigate the evolutionary reasons why they exist. No rock is unturned throughout the book. Frustrated birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, and bacteria write in and reveal quite startling behavior. The prologue of the book asserts that:

"Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to all Creation is a unique guidebook to sex. It reveals, for example when necrophilia is acceptable, and who should commit bestiality with whom. It discloses the best time to have a sex change, how to have a virgin birth, and when to eat your lover. It also advises on more mundane matters - such as male pregnancy and the joys of a detachable penis."**

Most information is retained when it is enjoyed. My friend first recommended this book a few years ago. He was required to read it in his college class Darwin and Darwinism. We laughed about the required reading list, but I have often given this book to friends who have no interest in science and they have all enjoyed it despite the fact that delving into evolutionary biology is often quite difficult. More so, I found out only recently, this book is also part of the reference material for our docent program at the museum. Every year, Animal Sex Tours are led by the docents throughout the museum. The tours sell out every time and a great deal of creative insight has stemmed from this book. If you, as a reader, are curious - find out more about the author and the book at http://www.drtatiana.com/index.shtml. It is definitely a great science read for the beginning of spring!

Cat Aboudara is the Special Projects Manager at California Academy of Sciences and works in the public programs division. The Academy is a wonderful fit for her because of her curiosity about the natural world and her experience in working with native California wildlife.

* Judson, Olivia. Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice for All Creatures. 2002; Henry Holt, New York. Page 6.
** Judson, Olivia. Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice for All Creatures. 2002; Henry Holt, New York. Page 2.