Synopses & Reviews
Despite our cultures seemingly endless fascination with both sex and parenting, the origins of our reproductive lives remain a mystery to most of us. Why are a quarter of a billion sperm cells needed to fertilize one human egg? Why do women, apes, and monkeys menstruate while most other mammals do not? Are women really fertile only during a few days in each menstrual cycle? Whats natural in human pairing: monogamy or promiscuity? Does morning sickness have a purpose? What about breastfeeding?
In How We Do It, biological anthropologist Robert Martin draws on forty years of research to trace our sexual past. He examines the procreative history of humans as well as that of our nearest primate kin, and his analysis of our two-hundred-million-year pedigree unearths some surprising facts about everything from the average length of copulation in humans (five minutes, the short duration of which may explain why modern men lack the penis bone present in mandrills and macaques) to the increased tips of lap dancers during the fertile phase of their cycle.
But this is not just the story of remote reproductive originsMartin looks ahead to the future of human reproduction, calling attention to possible consequences of practices we currently take for granted. For example, if dog breeding is any guide, the use of caesarian sections for childbirth may be putting us on a track toward making vaginal birth impossible, as babies heads are getting too large for the birth canal. Neonatal ICUs might be making premature births more common, and in-vitro fertilization might be encouraging reproduction by competitively inferior sperm.
We dont and wont live life like our ancestors did. But How We Do It shows that once we understand our evolutionary past, as mammals, primates, and great apes, we can consider what worked, what didnt, and what it all means for the propagation of the human species.
Review
Here at last is a thought-provoking, accurate, and entertaining account of the origins and present status of human reproduction. Robert Martin, a world authority on evolutionary biology, explores how evolution has shaped the patterns of reproductive physiology and the sexual and maternal behavior that characterize modern humans. He accomplishes this task with great clarity and wit.”
Alan Dixson, Professor of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and author of Sexual Selection and the Origins of Human Mating SystemsReview
This is one of the best books about sex, and having babies, you're likely to read.... If you want to know things like why men have nipples or why it takes a quarter of a billion sperm cells to fertilize one human egg, you should take this white-knuckle ride back through evolutionary time, across continents, into science labs and around your most private parts. It will make you laugh. Your jaw will drop. And the sight of the mismatch between the lives we lead and the bodies we live in will start you thinking.”
NPR Books[An] amiable information tour through the evolutionary history of mating, pregnancy, birth, and babies.... An intelligent, open-minded guide to the animal processes that somehow seem to make us most fully human.”Boston Globe
Mr. Martin's humble but crucial acknowledgment that biology is unavoidably complicatedthat we can't capture millennia of evolution or decades of research in glib sayings about the sexes' planetary origins or in single surveys of psychology undergraduatesis what makes How We Do It so compelling.... No Mars and Venus, no extrapolations about why we evolved to loveor hatestrip clubs or whether bottle-feeding dooms a child to a life of puerile amusements and a career at the Kwik-E-Mart. Here instead are the facts of life as you may have never thought about them.”Wall Street Journal
Intriguing .... [filled with] interesting factoids.”Washington Post
Misconceptions, cultural taboos, misguided assumptions about gender, and general prudishness have held back research on sex and its influence on the evolution of our species. Robert Martins How We Do It provides a refreshing account of what we do know about the subject, how we got to this stage of awareness, and where we go next. Starting with an overview of sperm and eggs and ending with birth control and in vitro fertilization, Martin, who has been researching these subjects for decades as curator of biological anthropology at the Field Museum in Chicago, takes off the blinders. He puts human sex into the broad context of the genetic, morphological, and behavioral variation that exists in the animal kingdom.”American Scientist
Biological anthropologist Robert Martin wields decades of research to get at the evolutionary facts and inform peoples reproductive decisions.... Fascinating detours aboundsuch as the successful, and sensitive, toilet training of six-month-old babies by Kenyas Digo people.”Nature
A gold mine of cocktail party trivia.... People who are fascinated by humans past should read this book.”Science News
"An accessible and affordable, yet rigorously reviewed, scholarly trade book that comes across as a career achievement. Buy it, read it, carefully consider it, and you will be on your way to becoming a cognoscenti in a diversity of fields related to humans and their evolution and reproductive biology.”Evolutionary Psychology
This fascinating, comprehensive look at human evolution raises important questions about what everything from bottle-fed babies to assisted reproduction means for the future of the species.... A must-read for anyone interested in human evolution.”Booklist
A fascinating treatment of a complex subject.”Kirkus Reviews
Martin, an anthropologist and curator at Chicagos Field Museum, covers every aspect of human reproductionfrom fertilization to infant carein this thoughtful, well-written book.... His comparative analysis and expertise permits him to draw compelling conclusions.... He also raises thought-provoking questions, such as why so many spermon the order of 250 billionare released when only one can inseminate the egg.”Publishers Weekly
Robert Martin is one of our leading researchers on human biology and evolution, having made a career of generating novel and game-changing conclusions about why our bodies and organs look the way they do. In How We Do It, he brings his authoritative voice to a compelling, readable, and enlightening account about human reproduction. Read Robert Martin and you will not look at human bodies the same way again.”Neil Shubin, paleontologist, The University of Chicago, and author of Your Inner Fish
How We Do It is a fascinating account of the natural history of human reproduction. As modern medicine and technology increasingly encroach on conception, childbirth, and infant care, it is eye-opening to learn about how these processes actually evolved in our species. Robert Martin has written the perfect birds-and-bees guide for curious grown-ups.”Lise Eliot, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, and author of Whats Going On In There?: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life
I have lectured for years on the topic of this book, and done research on primate reproduction. But even so, I kept coming across information and ideas new to me. The authors knowledge is encyclopedic. From mating, through pregnancy and birth, to baby care, to contraception and its opposite, we get an absorbing account of the evolutionary and functional biology of reproduction. Buy the book! Its a fascinating read, a real romp.”Alexander Harcourt, author of Human Biogeography and coauthor of Gorilla Society
Here at last is a thought-provoking, accurate, and entertaining account of the origins and present status of human reproduction. Robert Martin, a world authority on evolutionary biology, explores how evolution has shaped the patterns of reproductive physiology and the sexual and maternal behavior that characterize modern humans. He accomplishes this task with great clarity and wit.”Alan Dixson, Professor of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and author of Sexual Selection and the Origins of Human Mating Systems
This fascinating book answers not only important questions, like how we can halve breast cancer rates and lower postpartum depression, but also the ones that will make you the star of any cocktail party: why men have nipples, whether womens brains shrink during pregnancy and natures reason for masturbation.”Tina Cassidy, author of Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born
How We Do It shows not only what we know about the science of sex, but also how we know it. This is a fascinating tour of the latest and best on the birds and the bees.”Richard Wrangham, Ruth B. Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology, Harvard University, and author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
Synopsis
Despite our seemingly endless fascination with sex and parenting, the origins of our reproductive lives remain a mystery. Why are a quarter of a billion sperm cells needed to fertilize one egg? Are women really fertile for only a few days each month? How long should women breast-feed? In
How We Do It, primatologist Robert Martin draws on forty years of research to locate the origins of everything from sex cells to baby careand to reveal whats really natural” when it comes to making and raising babies. He acknowledges that although its not realistic to reproduce like our ancestors did, there are surprising consequences to behavior we take for granted, such as bottle feeding, cesarean sections, and in vitro fertilization.
How We Do It shows that once we understand our evolutionary past, we can consider what worked, what didnt, and what it all means for the future of our species.
Synopsis
Despite the widespread belief that natural is better when it comes to sex, pregnancy, and parenting, most of us have no idea what natural” really means; the origins of our reproductive lives remain a mystery. Why are a quarter of a billion sperm cells needed to fertilize one egg? Are women really fertile for only a few days each month? How long should babies be breast-fed?
In How We Do It, primatologist Robert Martin draws on forty years of research to locate the roots of everything from our sex cells to the way we care for newborns. He examines the procreative history of humans as well as that of our primate kin to reveal whats really natural when it comes to making and raising babies, and distinguish which behaviors we ought to continueand which we should not. Although its not realistic to raise our children like our ancestors did, Martins investigation reveals surprising consequences ofand suggests ways to improve uponthe way we do things now. For instance, he explains why choosing a midwife rather than an obstetrician may have a greater impact than we think on our birthing experience, examines the advantages of breast-feeding for both mothers and babies, and suggests why babies may be ready for toilet training far earlier than is commonly practiced.
How We Do It offers much-needed context for our reproductive and child-rearing practices, and shows that once we understand our evolutionary past, we can consider what worked, what didnt, and what it all means for the future of our species.
About the Author
Robert Martin is the A. Watson Armour III Curator of Biological Anthropology at the Field Museum in Chicago, as well as a member of the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago. He was previously on the faculty of University College London, a visiting professor of anthropology at Yale, a visiting professor at the Musée de lHomme, Paris, and the director of the Anthropological Institute in Zurich.