Y: the Descent of Men.STEVE JONES Most men like to believe that they're the superior sex, but geneticist ge·net·i·cist n. A specialist in genetics. geneticist a specialist in genetics. geneticist Jones lists several reasons that isn't so. Men's life spans are shorter than those of women, and men are more prone to genetic diseases and predisposed to baldness, just to name a few. Testosterone may make a man a man, but it also seems to suppress his immune system. As evidenced in his earlier work, Darwin's Ghost, an update of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, Jones is a clever and provocative popularizer pop·u·lar·ize tr.v. pop·u·lar·ized, pop·u·lar·iz·ing, pop·u·lar·iz·es 1. To make popular: A famous dancer popularized the new hairstyle. 2. of scientific ideas. In a chapter titled "Hydraulics for Boys," he describes the physics of a man's most private appendage appendage /ap·pen·dage/ (ah-pen´dij) a subordinate portion of a structure, or an outgrowth, such as a tail. epiploic appendages see under appendix . and reveals, for instance, that even before they're born, boys have erections for an hour a day. Jones elaborates on scores of physiological as well as sociological elements of maleness to paint a startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. look at what it is to be a man. HM, 2003, 252 p., hardcover, $25.00. |
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