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A brief history of the female body : an evolutionary look at how and why the female form came to be / Deena Emera.

by Emera, Deena.

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Sourcebooks, 2023.

Females -- Physiology.

Women -- Physiology.

Females -- Evolution.

Women -- Evolution.

Sex differences.

9781728249407 (hc.)

xxxiv, 332 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-314) and index.

"From breasts and orgasms to periods, pregnancies, and menopause -- 'A Brief History of the Female Body' is a fascinating science book explaining the mysteries of the female body through an evolutionary lens. Let's face it: The female body is an enigma. For teenagers first experiencing their periods, the monthly arrival of mood swings and cramps can be agonizing and inconvenient. With pregnancy -- perhaps the most miraculous of bodily events -- comes countless potential complications, including high blood pressure, diabetes, premature birth, and postpartum depression. And menopause is equally mystifying. Why do females lose their fertility over time and experience the notorious side effects -- like hot flashes, weight gain, and hair loss -- while males maintain their fertility forever? Evolutionary geneticist and educator Dr. Deena Emera has spent much of her career studying the evolution of female reproduction. 'A Brief History of the Female Body' draws on her vast expertise as a biologist, her experience as a mother of four children, and her love of teaching to look far into our evolutionary past, illuminating how and, more importantly, why the female form has transformed over millions of years and its effects on women's health."

"Biologist Emera's enlightening debut traces the evolutionary history of women’s bodies. Mammary glands, Emera explains, likely developed from sweat glands in humans' amphibian-like distant ancestors more than 350 million years ago. Nipples formed later, providing offspring with a more sanitary alternative to licking milk droplets mothers “sweat out” on their skin, where the milk would have risked spoiling and mingled with bacteria. Exploring the science of why women menstruate, Emera suggests it's likely a form of “quality control... screening for the best eggs, sperm, and embryos.” Another theory illuminates how the interests of a mother and child sometimes conflict: the endometrium that builds up in the uterus during the menstrual cycle is possibly a precaution to make it harder for a yet-to-be-formed embryo to sap more nutrients from its mother than she can afford to lose. Emera also discusses research into the mechanics of mate selection, including one study in which women reported finding the scents of men who were genetically dissimilar from them more attractive than the scents of men who were more similar. Thought-provoking and accessibly written, this fascinates."--Publishers Weekly.

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