I am a biologist specialized in animal behavior and evolution. I write science nonfictions about behavior, evolution, and human nature for the general, intelligent audience. An avid reader myself, I “consume” at least a hundred books a year (mostly nonfictions but occasionally fictions when I have some leisure time) with a wide range of topics including science, nature, technology, psychology, economics, social justice, philosophy, and history. My favorite science books are those with new ideas and insights, an impeccable scientific rigor, and a strong, accessible, and concise writing style.
I wrote
The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars: Cheating and Deception in the Living World
Mingling state-of-the-art research information, Ryan synthesizes major theories about sexual selection with superb clarity and accuracy.
He demonstrates that females of many species have some built-in neural and sensory biases evolved to suit for such basic survival purposes as finding food and escaping from predators.
For males, however, whoever bears a trait that can better stimulate the pre-existing biases in females’ sensory systems would be rewarded with a higher level of success in wooing females. So, males were channelled to evolving such traits, often to a seemingly ridiculous degree, that fit females’ tastes.
It is a compelling idea for the evolution of such features as loud chucks in the songs of Túngara frogs, sexy “swords” (from the modified anal fin) in swordtail fish, and alluring smells in insects and mammals.
From one of the world's leading authorities on animal behavior, the astonishing story of how the brain drives the evolution of beauty in animals and humans
In A Taste for the Beautiful, Michael Ryan, one of the world's leading authorities on animal behavior, tells the remarkable story of how he and other scientists have taken up where Darwin left off, transforming our understanding of sexual selection and shedding new light on animal and human behavior. Drawing on cutting-edge science, Ryan explores key questions: Why do animals perceive certain traits as beautiful and others not? Do animals have an inherent sexual…
This book offers a thorough analysis of monogamy in a variety of animals, including people.
It demonstrates biological justifications for why monogamy is a dynamic balance brought about by the conflict of interests between males and females with wry humor and excellent prose. This book is a must-read for everyone interested in the behavior and evolution of the mating system.
In "The Myth of Monogamy", David Barash describes how new research investigating sex in the animal world concludes there is simply no question whether sexual desire for multiple partners is natural. It is. Similarly, there is no question of monogamy being natural. It isn't. Using DNA fingerprinting technology biologists have been able to trace the parenthood of animals and have found that even among those species previously thought to be monogamous, cheating on your mate is the rule for both sexes. The book explores why animals cheat, some prostitute themselves for food or protection, while others strive for genetically superior…
2024 Gold Winner, Benjamin Franklin Awards, Health & Fitness Category
2024 International Book Awards, Winner, Autobiography/Memoir Category and Health: Women's Health Category
A memoir of triumph in the face of a terrifying diagnosis, Up the Down Escalator recounts Dr. Lisa Doggett's startling shift from doctor to patient, as she learns…
Cheating takes place in all organisms at all levels.
This book takes readers to cheating at the cell level, particularly cancer cells. It demonstrates to readers how cancer cells take the path of going rogue, refusing to die as they are preprogramed.
In light of this, fighting cancer is essentially fighting cells that defy their fate by cheating. This introduces a fresh strategy for tackling cancer.
A fundamental and groundbreaking reassessment of how we view and manage cancer
When we think of the forces driving cancer, we don't necessarily think of evolution. But evolution and cancer are closely linked because the historical processes that created life also created cancer. The Cheating Cell delves into this extraordinary relationship, and shows that by understanding cancer's evolutionary origins, researchers can come up with more effective, revolutionary treatments.
Athena Aktipis goes back billions of years to explore when unicellular forms became multicellular organisms. Within these bodies of cooperating cells, cheating ones arose, overusing resources and replicating out of control, giving…
Today, gender is frequently viewed as a topic of pure ideological difference between the left and the right.
This book approaches gender as a biological issue rather than a social construct by looking at its evolutionary connections in primates, especially apes. This is a significant step toward establishing gender in the context of objective science, where liberals and conservatives may find common ground.
In Different, world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on decades of observation and studies of both human and animal behavior to argue that despite the linkage between gender and biological sex, biology does not automatically support the traditional gender roles in human societies. While humans and other primates do share some behavioral differences, biology offers no justification for existing gender inequalities.
Using chimpanzees and bonobos to illustrate this point-two ape relatives that are genetically equally close to humans-de Waal challenges widely held beliefs about masculinity and femininity, and common assumptions about authority, leadership, cooperation, competition, filial bonds, and sexual behavior.…
The Stark Beauty of Last Things
by
Céline Keating,
This book is set in Montauk, under looming threat from a warming climate and overdevelopment. Now outsider Clancy, a thirty-six-year-old claims adjuster scarred by his orphan childhood, has inherited an unexpected legacy: the power to decide the fate of Montauk’s last parcel of undeveloped land. Everyone in town has a…
Diseases are frequently handled as though they are just "out of the condition" and considered as such.
This frequently results in a superficial understanding of the underlying causes of the disorders. In an effort to explore the problem from an evolutionary standpoint, Zoobiquitytakes readers to many diseases occurring in both animals and humans, showing their shared roots.
It's an eye-opener for readers who aren't familiar with evolutionary medicine with a clear implication for how we can tackle human diseases more effectively.
A revelatory depiction of what animals can teach us about the human body and mind, exploring how animal and human commonality can be used to diagnose, treat, and heal patients of all species.
"Full of fascinating stories.” —Atul Gawande, M.D.
Do animals overeat? Get breast cancer? Have fainting spells? Inspired by an eye-opening consultation at the Los Angeles Zoo, which revealed that a monkey experienced the same symptoms of heart failure as human patients, cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz embarked upon a project that would reshape how she practiced medicine.
Beginning with the above questions, she began informally researching every affliction that…
Nature is rife with cheating. Possums play possum, feigning death to cheat predators. Crows cry wolf to scare off rivals. Amphibians and reptiles are inveterate impostors. Even genes and cells cheat. The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars explores the evolution of cheating in the natural world, revealing how dishonesty has given rise to wondrous diversity.
Blending cutting-edge science with a wealth of illuminating examples―from microscopic organisms to highly intelligent birds and mammals―Lixing Sun shows how cheating in nature relies on two basic rules. Sun demonstrates that cheating serves as a potent catalyst in the evolutionary arms race between the cheating and the cheated, resulting in a biological world teeming with complexity and beauty.
This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.
In these and other intimate conversations, the book…
This is an inspiring book from an experience of understanding. A journey through child abuse, bullying, and abandonment to being a successful businesswoman. Life isn't always easy, but the path travelled in this book is inspiring and aspirational for those who struggle with their past life, mental illness, and addiction—linking…
