Y: The Descent Of Men

With a title which is both an hint at Darwin's 'The Descent of Man' and, an humorous allusion to the Fragile Y Hypothesis ('descent' as in decline, for Steve Jones clearly adheres to it) here's a book that delivers exactly what it implies on the tin: a witty yet enlightening read on evolutionary biology.

Sure, it can be tough at times. I mean, if you're not familiar with the basics of genetics (including the Fragile Y Hypothesis then) some passages will be a bit challenging to go through. Nevertheless, it remains a brilliant work of popular science, far-ranging and full of fascinating titbits about the making of the human male. Guarding against the dangers of reductionism/ biological determinism, but still brave enough to compare us to show more other species, the author also shows brilliant insights, served by an engaging and witty writing style that makes, all in all, for an engrossing read.

Yes, it does have its weaknesses!
First, claiming the Y chromosome may disappear within ten million years -given its fragility and rate of decay- is a controversial idea that has been challenged even since the publication of this book. Then, Steve Jones may at times seem to loose the plot, as when he gets tangled up in debates on circumcision or castration. Indeed I found here that, ironically, he was falling into a trap he himself is keen to denounce that is, using science as a sole determinant to societal decisions when it should be only one of it. Well! This might be only my own impression because, I confess I found it regretful too that, at other times, he didn't go far enough in using the insights of biology to debunk some ideological rubbish (e.g. Kennewick Man as an argument against racism)!

Whatever, 'The Descent of Men' remains a very good read, both delightful and very instructive. I really liked it! show less

I haven't read Darwin's [b:The Descent of Man|185407|The Descent of Man|Charles Darwin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388296535s/185407.jpg|728232] yet so I can't tell if Steve Jones is trying to parallel structure here, though it's certainly a slimmer volume. A nice broad survey of all the things that make someone biologically male- hormones and genes that play a role in development, the mechanics of the penis, the diversity of sperm types across Animalia, tracing genealogy via the Y chromosome, etc. He provides a list of further reading for nonspecialists which could be handy, though because this was published >10 years ago you may be better off googling newer material.

Fabulous look at what makes men men and at all kinds of aspects of masculinity, all of the obvious ones and a few that aren't. Lots of genetic stuff as you'd expect but quite a lot that dives out into other areas of biology and beyond. Great writer as well as a good scientist.

Fabulous look at what makes men men and at all kinds of aspects of masculinity, all of the obvious ones and a few that aren't. Lots of genetic stuff as you'd expect but quite a lot that dives out into other areas of biology and beyond. Great writer as well as a good scientist.

Possibly because I don't own the chromosome in question, I did not find this as involving as Steve Jones's other books, as I did not think that the chapters followed a logical order.

That being said, the science was well explained and the book contained a wealth of interesting information.

This was read a few years ago, but my notes say that I had four books by this author - the first I gave up about a third in, the second (this one, about the Y chromosome) I struggled through to the end, the third I read some bits and skimmed others, and the fourth even more so.

I don't know how he manages to make an interesting subject boring and in places obscure, so I still don't really understand the difference between genes, chromosomes and how e.g. mitocondrial DNA can cause developmental problems when it is meant to be separate from the other DNA and is forms each cell's energy factory. So I will have to stay mystified until I can find someone who explains it a lot better than this author!

A bit thin and anecdotal compared to his previous genetics books.