Newsouth Pub.
Sex, Genes and Rock 'n' Roll: How evolution has shaped the modern world
Key Metrics
- Rob Brooks
- Newsouth Pub.
- Paperback
- 9781742231600
- 9.21 X 6.14 X 0.7 inches
- 1.06 pounds
- Science > Life Sciences - Evolution
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Why are people getting fatter?
Why do so many rock stars end up dead at 27?
Is there any hope of curbing population growth, rampant consumerism and the environmental devastation they wreak?
Evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks argues that the origins of these twenty-first century problems can be found where the ancient forces of evolution collide with modern culture and economics. In Sex, Genes and Rock 'n' Roll Brooks explores a tasting platter of topics, from the frivolous to the tragic - falling in love, making music, our obsession with rock 'n' roll, sexual conflict, fertility, obesity, consumption, ageing and more - illustrating how evolution stands alongside economics, anthropology, psychology and political science in shaping our world.
Author Bio
I am Scientia Professor of Evolution at UNSW Sydney, where I founded and, from 2007-2019, directed the Evolution and Ecology Research Centre.
My research mostly considers the conflicting evolutionary interests that make sex sizzle and render reproduction complicated. Working on both human and non-human animals, my fabulous research group (the SEX LAB), my collaborators, and I explore the evolutionary and ecological consequences of sexual reproduction. We study evolution because of its power to help us understand both nature and the human condition.
This website is mostly about my writing and speaking for popular audiences. My first book, Sex, Genes & Rock ‘n’ Roll: How Evolution has Shaped the Modern World (2011, NewSouth Books), won the 2012 Queensland Literary Award for Science Writing. In 2013, I also won Australia’s most prestigious award for science communication, the Eureka Prize.
I write for various websites and magazines, including The Conversation and Medium.
One of my great research interests at the moment is to understand what happens when our evolved human natures, forged over millions of years, crash into new and often fast-moving cultural, economic, and technological realities. My second book Artificial Intimacy: Virtual friends, digital lovers and algorithmic matchmakers (2012, NewSouth Books), considers humanity’s evolved capacities for friendship, love, and intimacy, and what happens when they encounter new technologies like social media, online dating, and virtual reality sex.
Source: robbrooks.net
Videos
Community reviews
Write a ReviewNo Community reviews