The Other Big Bang

This beautifully written book provides a tour of the biology of sex, offering both a rigorous overview and deeper evolutionary framing to help the reader fully grasp the key issues. Writing in a friendly, approachable voice, Eric S. Haag does a lovely job in drawing the reader into the relevance of a particular question and then zooming out to see where that issue fits in the broader scope of human evolution. – Lisa M. Diamond, author of Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women’s Love and DesireIn The Other Big Bang, Eric Haag explores one of life’s most basic features. In discussions at once accessible and deeply informed by biology, Haag illuminates not only the origins of sex and its role in promoting biological diversity but also the many ways in which it has shaped our own bodies and behavior. His chapters on sexism, sexual aggression, and sexual orientation are both firmly grounded in science and compassionate—required reading for thoughtful citizens. – Andrew H. Knoll, author of A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight ChaptersThe Other Big Bang offers a grand perspective on evolutionary and human history, from the origins of life on Earth to the emergent complexities of human sexuality. – Simon LeVay, author of Attraction, Love, Sex: The Inside StoryIn this stimulating debut inquiry, [Eric S. Haag]… investigates the natural history of sex. Haag’s illuminating analogies will help lay readers parse the jargon, as when he explains the evolutionary benefits of primitive bacterial sex by comparing it to stripping two junk cars of their best parts to construct one functional vehicle. This fascinates. * Publishers Weekly *This engaging book recounts the history of sexual reproduction. Given the pervasiveness of sex, gender, and sexual conflict cross-culturally, Haag takes a step back and asks, ‘Why do we have sexes (and sex) at all?’ Excellent discussion material. Highly recommended. * Choice Reviews *

Eric S. Haag

Eric S. Haag is professor of biology and director of the Biological Sciences Graduate Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. For three decades, he has conducted research on the evolution of sex and reproduction in animals such as sea urchins, roundworms, and hermaphroditic fish.