Marlene Zuk's Books

Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

By: Marlene Zuk

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Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

By: Marlene Zuk

A whip-smart, brilliantly researched expos of pseudoscientific myths about the evolutionary past and how people should live today.

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Page Count

337

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

0393081370

ISBN 13

9780393081374

Sexual Selection

A Very Short Introduction

By: Marlene Zuk,Leigh W. Simmons

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Sexual Selection

A Very Short Introduction

By: Marlene Zuk,Leigh W. Simmons

What is responsible for the differences between the sexes in so many animals, from the brilliant plumage of birds of paradise to the antlers on deer? And why are the traits that distinguish the sexes sometimes apparently detrimental to survival? Even when they look more or less alike, why do males and females sometimes behave differently? Questions like these have intrigued scientists and the public alike for many years, and new discoveries are showing us both how wildly variable the natural world is, and how some basic principles can help explain much of that variation. Like natural selection, sexual selection is a process that results from differential representation of genes in successive generations. Under sexual selection, however, the crucial characteristics that determine whether an individual reproduces depend on sexual competition, rather than survival ability. This Very Short Introduction considers the history of our understanding of sexual selection, from Darwin's key insights to the modern day. Considering the investment animals place on reproduction, variation in mating systems, sexual conflict, and the origin of sexual dimorphism, Marlene Zuk and Leigh Simmons discuss questions such as whether females can really choose between males on aesthetic grounds, and how sexual conflict is resolved in different species. They conclude with a consideration of the thorny question of how, and even if, sexual selection theory applies to humans. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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Page Count

180

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191084417

ISBN 13

9780191084416

Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters

By: Marlene Zuk

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Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters

By: Marlene Zuk

Longlisted for the 2023 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award A lively exploration of animal behavior in all its glorious complexity, whether in tiny wasps, lumbering elephants, or ourselves. For centuries, people have been returning to the same tired nature-versus-nurture debate, trying to determine what we learn and what we inherit. In Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test, biologist Marlene Zuk goes beyond the binary and instead focuses on interaction, or the way that genes and environment work together. Driving her investigation is a simple but essential question: How does behavior evolve? Drawing from a wealth of research, including her own on insects, Zuk answers this question by turning to a wide range of animals and animal behavior. There are stories of cockatoos that dance to rock music, ants that heal their injured companions, dogs that exhibit signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and so much more. For insights into animal intelligence, mating behavior, and an organism’s ability to fight disease, she explores the behavior of smart spiders, silent crickets, and crafty crows. In each example, she clearly demonstrates how these traits were produced by the complex and diverse interactions of genes and the environment and urges us to consider how that same process evolves behavior in us humans. Filled with delightful anecdotes and fresh insights, Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test helps us see both other animals and ourselves more clearly, demonstrating that animal behavior can be remarkably similar to human behavior, and wonderfully complicated in its own right.

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Page Count

260

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

1324007230

ISBN 13

9781324007234

Sexual Selections

What We Can and Can’t Learn about Sex from Animals

By: Marlene Zuk

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Sexual Selections

What We Can and Can’t Learn about Sex from Animals

By: Marlene Zuk

Zuk's analogies are better than anyone's—pithy, insightful, and funny. Who said feminists lack humor? Zuk made me laugh with deep pleasure more than once, as she reviewed the lessons of feminism for our understanding of non-human animals. Her main point—that studying the lives of non-humans should not be for the lessons they seem to provide for our political purposes, but for the pleasure of knowing nature on its own terms—will be compelling reading for all naturalists, feminists and not-feminists alike."—Patricia Adair Gowaty, editor of Feminism and Evolutionary Biology "Marlene Zuk uniquely combines a great breadth of knowledge about the behavior of animals with an ability to challenge conventional wisdom. She also writes with a graceful style and a mischievous wit. The result is a bold, fresh and feminist book about how our sex lives evolved."—Matt Ridley, author of Genome "This is an engaging and much needed book, which I hope will be widely read."—Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species

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Page Count

251

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520219740

ISBN 13

9780520219748

Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

By: Marlene Zuk

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Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

By: Marlene Zuk

“With…evidence from recent genetic and anthropological research, [Zuk] offers a dose of paleoreality.” —Erin Wayman, Science News We evolved to eat berries rather than bagels, to live in mud huts rather than condos, to sprint barefoot rather than play football—or did we? Are our bodies and brains truly at odds with modern life? Although it may seem as though we have barely had time to shed our hunter-gatherer legacy, biologist Marlene Zuk reveals that the story is not so simple. Popular theories about how our ancestors lived—and why we should emulate them—are often based on speculation, not scientific evidence. Armed with a razor-sharp wit and brilliant, eye-opening research, Zuk takes us to the cutting edge of biology to show that evolution can work much faster than was previously realized, meaning that we are not biologically the same as our caveman ancestors. Contrary to what the glossy magazines would have us believe, we do not enjoy potato chips because they crunch just like the insects our forebears snacked on. And women don’t go into shoe-shopping frenzies because their prehistoric foremothers gathered resources for their clans. As Zuk compellingly argues, such beliefs incorrectly assume that we’re stuck—finished evolving—and have been for tens of thousands of years. She draws on fascinating evidence that examines everything from adults’ ability to drink milk to the texture of our ear wax to show that we’ve actually never stopped evolving. Our nostalgic visions of an ideal evolutionary past in which we ate, lived, and reproduced as we were “meant to” fail to recognize that we were never perfectly suited to our environment. Evolution is about change, and every organism is full of trade-offs. From debunking the caveman diet to unraveling gender stereotypes, Zuk delivers an engrossing analysis of widespread paleofantasies and the scientific evidence that undermines them, all the while broadening our understanding of our origins and what they can really tell us about our present and our future.

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Page Count

310

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

039308986X

ISBN 13

9780393089868

Sex on Six Legs

Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World

By: Marlene Zuk

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Sex on Six Legs

Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World

By: Marlene Zuk

A biologist presents a “consistently delightful” look at the mysteries of insect behavior (The New York Times Book Review). Insects have inspired fear, fascination, and enlightenment for centuries. They are capable of incredibly complex behavior, even with brains often the size of a poppy seed. How do they accomplish feats that look like human activity—personality, language, childcare—with completely different pathways from our own? What is going on inside the mind of those ants that march like boot-camp graduates across your kitchen floor? How does the lead ant know exactly where to take her colony, to that one bread crumb that your nightly sweep missed? Can insects be taught new skills as easily as your new puppy? Sex on Six Legs is a startling and exciting book that provides answers to these questions and many more, examining not only the bedroom lives of creepy crawlies but also some of our own long-held assumptions about learning, the nature of personality, and what our own large brains might be for. “Smart, engaging . . . Zuk approaches her subject with such humor and enthusiasm for the intricacies of insect life, even bug-phobes will relish her account.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

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Page Count

277

Publisher

HMH

Published Date

ISBN 10

0547549172

ISBN 13

9780547549170

Riddled with Life

Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites that Make Us who We are

By: Marlene Zuk

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Riddled with Life

Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites that Make Us who We are

By: Marlene Zuk

An evolutionary biologist explores how germs, infections, bacteria, and viruses have shaped human life, examining the role of disease while answering such questions as why men die younger than women and how parasites can sometimes make us well.

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Page Count

328

Publisher

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published Date

ISBN 10

0151012253

ISBN 13

9780151012251

Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters

By: Marlene Zuk

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Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters

By: Marlene Zuk

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Page Count

260

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

1324007230

ISBN 13

9781324007234

Sexual Selections

What We Can and Can’t Learn about Sex from Animals

By: Marlene Zuk

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Sexual Selections

What We Can and Can’t Learn about Sex from Animals

By: Marlene Zuk

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

251

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520219740

ISBN 13

9780520219748

Sex on Six Legs

Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World

By: Marlene Zuk

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Sex on Six Legs

Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World

By: Marlene Zuk

...One of the most readable books about insect behavior...Zuk has the uncanny ability to take what most of us consider just plain creepy and turn it into the fascinating and the revelatory."--Booklist, starred review

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Page Count

262

Publisher

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)

Published Date

ISBN 10

015101373X

ISBN 13

9780151013739

Sexual Selection: A Very Short Introduction

By: Marlene Zuk,Leigh W. Simmons

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Sexual Selection: A Very Short Introduction

By: Marlene Zuk,Leigh W. Simmons

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

161

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191084409

ISBN 13

9780191084409

Book's by Marlene Zuk

Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

Sexual Selection

Sexual Selection

Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters

Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters

Sexual Selections

Sexual Selections

Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

Sex on Six Legs

Sex on Six Legs

Riddled with Life

Riddled with Life

Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters

Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters

Sexual Selections

Sexual Selections

Sex on Six Legs

Sex on Six Legs

Sexual Selection: A Very Short Introduction

Sexual Selection: A Very Short Introduction

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