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Loading... Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sexby Mary Roach
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Fascinating and funny, this book looks at what science does and doesn't know about sex and the curious way scientists go about gathering data through experiments. There seem to be more people than I would have imagined willing to have sex with others watching: observing, filming, and taking notes. People have even done it inside an MRI tube - including the author. Some bests: a scientist found that rats wearing polyester pants got sex less than those wearing cotton or wool; during sex, female rats get distracted by cheese but the males don't; and some women can instigate their own orgasms without even touching. hmm, quite a talent. ( )Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Spook, hits the monosyllables once again with her latest publication, Bonk, which journeys through the world of science to see exactly what the field is doing with de Sade's favorite subject. Bonk is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through physiological research; Roach focuses on the scientific over the pornographic, making her work comfortable for wide audiences. Her voice is frank, and she jumps into her research feet-first, even to the point of participating in some of the studies she observes. Through it all her sense of humor shines through, and the entertainment value is high. Funny, informative, and occasionally cringe-inducing. I had no idea what to expect from this book, but it did sound very interesting. The book is mainly about research into sex, and how difficult it is to set up, not just physically, but also due to politics. It describes some of the studies done in the past and what those studies found. The humor of Mary Roach makes this a very funny and readable book. Bonk is hilarious, charming, a touch racy, and completely approachable. Mary Roach once again takes a look at something every knows about but no one really asks about. The science is still easy to read, and still sometimes completely off the wall. Everything one would expect. Loved it! no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0393064646, Hardcover)The best-selling author of Stiff turns her outrageous curiosity and infectious wit on the most alluring scientific subject of all: sex.The study of sexual physiology—what happens, and why, and how to make it happen better—has been a paying career or a diverting sideline for scientists as far-ranging as Leonardo da Vinci and James Watson. The research has taken place behind the closed doors of laboratories, brothels, MRI centers, pig farms, sex-toy R&D labs, and Alfred Kinsey's attic. Mary Roach, "the funniest science writer in the country" (Burkhard Bilger of The New Yorker), devoted the past two years to stepping behind those doors. Can a person think herself to orgasm? Can a dead man get an erection? Is vaginal orgasm a myth? Why doesn't Viagra help women—or, for that matter, pandas? In Bonk, Roach shows us how and why sexual arousal and orgasm, two of the most complex, delightful, and amazing scientific phenomena on earth, can be so hard to achieve and what science is doing to slowly make the bedroom a more satisfying place. 16 illustrations. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:19 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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