Like a Virgin
How Science is Redesigning the Rules of Sex
Published on 16. August 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-85168-911-8 (ISBN)
Description
Most cultures tell the tale of a maiden who gives birth untouched by a man, and in the wild there are plenty of creatures - turkeys, Komodo 'dragons', and the 'Jesus Christ' lizard (which even walks on water) - that take various approaches to making babies without having sex. Soon, humans will have that option, too.
In Like a Virgin, biologist and science writer Aarathi Prasad examines inconceivable ideas about conception, from a Renaissance recipe for creating a child (bury semen in manure for forty days) to the search for a real-life virgin mother in the 1950s. She then takes us to maverick, cutting-edge labs that are today inventing sex-less reproduction, from manufactured eggs to artificial wombs and beyond. Like a Virgin delivers an astonishing exploration of the mysteries of sex and evolution - past, present, and future.
In Like a Virgin, biologist and science writer Aarathi Prasad examines inconceivable ideas about conception, from a Renaissance recipe for creating a child (bury semen in manure for forty days) to the search for a real-life virgin mother in the 1950s. She then takes us to maverick, cutting-edge labs that are today inventing sex-less reproduction, from manufactured eggs to artificial wombs and beyond. Like a Virgin delivers an astonishing exploration of the mysteries of sex and evolution - past, present, and future.
Reviews / Votes
"Think of her as the female equivalent of Brian Cox making science accessible for the masses... Entertaining and provocative, this promises to change the way you think about sex." * Stylist * "A fascinating examination of a future that may not be too distant, as well as an account of historical misconceptions about conception." * Kirkus Reviews * "[Prasad's] elegantly written romp through the science and history of conception is conceivably as much fun as you'll ever have thinking about sex without working up a sweat." * Publishers Weekly *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
318 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85168-911-8 (9781851689118)
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
Other editions
New editions
E-Book
08/2012
1st Edition
Oneworld Publications
€7.90
Available for download
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2012
1st Edition
Oneworld Publications
€7.90
Available for download
Person
Aarathi Prasad is a biologist and science writer. She has appeared on TV and radio programmes, including as presenter of Channel 4's controversial Is It Better to Be Mixed Race? and Brave New World with Stephen Hawking. Previously a cancer genetics researcher at Imperial College London, she subsequently moved out of the lab and into the worlds of science communication and policy, in areas including the passage in the UK Parliament of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. A single mother, Dr Prasad lives in London.