
The Sexual Evolution
How 500 million years of sex, gender and mating shape modern relationships
Nathan H. Lents(Author)
Canongate Books (Publisher)
Published on 5. June 2025
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-83726-070-6 (ISBN)
Description
'Marvellous fun' THE TIMES
'Glorious ' LUCY COOKE
'Colourful' GUARDIAN
We find ourselves in a time of great social upheaval. People are testing the boundaries of just about everything related to sex and gender. Biological sex, long thought to be a simple binary, is now being understood as a spectrum. Gender is being uncoupled from sex and expanded to an astounding range of diversity. The traditional categories of sexual attraction are being supplanted by more creative labels. Where is this shift coming from? The answer may surprise you. Diverse sexual behaviour is not a new development, or even a human one. It didn't emerge from recent progressive culture, it's the product of billions of years of experimentation throughout the animal kingdom.
Evolutionary biologist Nathan H. Lents takes readers on a journey from silent crickets to lesbian albatrosses to bonobos who kiss, revealing what this incredible array of sexual diversity can teach us about our own. Amusing, enlightening and meticulously researched, Lents convincingly shows that diverse genders and sexuality have evolutionary functions far beyond procreation. The Sexual Evolution is a perspective-altering book that advocates understanding and demolishes biases held by even the most open-minded among us.
'Glorious ' LUCY COOKE
'Colourful' GUARDIAN
We find ourselves in a time of great social upheaval. People are testing the boundaries of just about everything related to sex and gender. Biological sex, long thought to be a simple binary, is now being understood as a spectrum. Gender is being uncoupled from sex and expanded to an astounding range of diversity. The traditional categories of sexual attraction are being supplanted by more creative labels. Where is this shift coming from? The answer may surprise you. Diverse sexual behaviour is not a new development, or even a human one. It didn't emerge from recent progressive culture, it's the product of billions of years of experimentation throughout the animal kingdom.
Evolutionary biologist Nathan H. Lents takes readers on a journey from silent crickets to lesbian albatrosses to bonobos who kiss, revealing what this incredible array of sexual diversity can teach us about our own. Amusing, enlightening and meticulously researched, Lents convincingly shows that diverse genders and sexuality have evolutionary functions far beyond procreation. The Sexual Evolution is a perspective-altering book that advocates understanding and demolishes biases held by even the most open-minded among us.
Reviews / Votes
In The Sexual Evolution, the US biologist Nathan Lents romps through the mating habits of the animal kingdom, from polyamorous swans to 'depraved' penguins . . . This is all marvellous fun * * The Times * * Leave it to Lents to remind us that yes, we have sex for many reasons, and yes, they're often funny as hell. Bravo! -- CAT BOHANNON, author of EVE An entertaining and informative romp through mating strategies in nature . . . Garter snake orgies, gender-masking hyenas, lusty bonobos and the lesbian Laysan albatrosses of Hawaii - this book has it all. All that diversity is fascinating, and frequently funny * * Guardian * * At a time when diversity is fast becoming a dirty word, The Sexual Evolution provides a powerful argument about why diversity not only exists, but wins. Lents' scholarly tome never lectures but guides the reader through a glorious array of gender and sexual diversity from across the animal kingdom, with authority and humour. An important addition to this important genre. My copy of this book will be read many times -- LUCY COOKE, author of BITCH The Sexual Evolution is a thoughtfully and delightfully written book full of illuminating and entertaining information that will be new to most readers. At a time when ignorance and misinformation about sex, gender, reproduction and intimacy abound, we could all benefit from reading this research-packed tour * * Science * * The onus is on all who wish to take part in the sex-gender debate to be reminded of what is fact and what is conjecture. [This] book provide[s] the facts * * Times Literary Supplement * * An unnaturally good book - funny, informative and refreshingly frank. The Sexual Evolution injects a timely splash of colour into a field increasingly polarised towards black and white. A must read -- ED WATKINS, Producer and Director of QUEER PLANET A fascinating and important exploration of nature in all its rich, queer glory -- DAVID FARRIER, author of FOOTPRINTS and NATURE'S GENIUS Thought-provoking, insightful, and surprisingly dirty, The Sexual Evolution brings in-depth research of natural history to contemporary gender issues -- CATHERINE PHIPPS, Lecturer in the History of Gender and Sexualities at the University of Bristol Enthralling . . . Lents gleefully tears down cis, hetero and monogamous norms, outlining surprising case studies that give the lie to restrictive conceptions of gender and sex. The result is an indispensable glimpse into the queerness of animals -- Starred Review * * Publishers Weekly * *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
534 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83726-070-6 (9781837260706)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Nathan H. Lents is an American scientist, author and university professor. He has been on the faculty of John Jay College in New York since 2006, where he is currently the director of the Cell and Molecular Biology programme. He is the author of Not So Different and Human Errors.
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