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  • Sperm Wars

  • Infidelity, Sexual Conflict, and Other Bedroom Battles
  • By: Robin Baker
  • Narrated by: Jessica Wolf
  • Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (19 ratings)
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Sperm Wars

By: Robin Baker
Narrated by: Jessica Wolf
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Summary

This classic work on the rules of sex - updated for a new generation - is still as provocative as the day it was published, providing simple explanations for any and all questions about what happens in the bedroom.

Sex isn't as complicated as we make it. In Sperm Wars, evolutionary biologist Robin Baker argues that every question about human sexuality can be explained by one simple thing: sperm warfare. In the interest of promoting competition between sperm to fertilize the same egg, evolution has built men to conquer and monopolize women while women are built to seek the best genetic input on offer from potential sexual partners.

Baker reveals, through a series of provocative fictional scene, the far-reaching implications of sperm competition. Ten percent of children are not fathered by their "fathers"; more than 99 percent of a man's sperm exists simply to fight off all other men's sperm; and a woman is far more likely to conceive through a casual fling than through sex with her regular partner.

From infidelity, to homosexuality, to the female orgasm, Sperm Wars turns on every light in the bedroom. Now with new material reflecting the latest research on sperm warfare, this milestone of popular science will still surprise, entertain, and even shock.

©1996, 2006 Robin Baker (P)2020 Basic Books

Critic reviews

"Challenging, intellectually provocative and likely to raise considerable and deserved debate." (Publishers Weekly)

"A constant stream of surprising facts makes this an entertaining page-turner.... A must for anyone who wants to understand what is really going on during sex." (The Irish Times)

"The best fiction I've read all year is the imaginary sex scenes in Robin Baker's Sperm Wars, the most entertaining science book of the year." (The Sunday Times, UK)

What listeners say about Sperm Wars

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Fascinating science

An extremely interesting, provocative and thoroughly insightful read. I recommend this book including for general knowledge.

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A must-listen book to understand sexual behaviour

The book gives you a detailed insight of the relationship between human biology and the sexual behaviour we have. The foreword and afterword from the author explain the background why he decided to write a popular science book and some of the most controversial statements in the book. He has also the co-author of an academic book that shows the scientific studies that are the foundations behind this book. Each section of the book contains a number of good written sexual stories to show what sexual behaviors that will be explained. All behaviours from masturbation to group sex and some behaviours that are not allowed in any law, are used to show the biological reason why they exist
The narrator does an excellent job. The fiction and the popular science are narrated in a tone that makes them easy to digest. The references in the book between different scens are frequent and the more analytic reader will need to own the book in order to have the full picture.
It's an eye-opening knowledge and the book to listen to in order to get an understanding of how best to behave sexually if you want to become pregnant with a partner.

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Carnal analysis I'd not dreamed of

The book contains analysis of physiological changes in a man and a woman based on measurement of physical samples collected from copulating couples.

Every analysis is supported with evolutionary theory to explain the adaptations, be it change in sperm numbers or behaviour.

Really great book and I'd love to read a critique by the legendary Dawkins.

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Diatribe in a nutshell

My ex bragged about this book. As a scientist I explored the book. The levels of inaccuracies far outweigh the childish attempts to draw in the reader from titillation. The incestuous themes are somewhat disturbing given these are based loosely on true events, throwing light onto the dangers of men and young boys spending time alone, almost encouraging that by doing so the men are helping that boys to become homosexuals, bordering justifying paedophilia. That women deliberately should sleep around to get the best results when trying to conceive. I found it unedifying.

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