Human And Animal Mating

This book presents topical research on human and animal mating strategies, gender differences and environmental influences. Topics include the mating effects on female reproductive organs and the paradigm of oestrogen signalling pathways in the oviduct; sexual maturation, mating strategies and neuroendocrinology in social insects; plasticity in mating patterns of a benthic nest-holding fish related to the effects of nest-site abundance and social interactions; and human sexual strategies of short-term mating and parental control over mate choice.

Wild Kingdom meets Sex and the City in this scientific perspective on dating and relationships. A specialist in animal behavior compares the courtship rituals and mating behaviors of animals to their human equivalents, revealing the many and often surprising ways we are both similar to and different from other species. What makes an individual attractive to the opposite sex? Does size matter? Why do we tend to keep score in our relationships? From perfume and cosmetics to online dating and therapy, our ultimate goal is to successfully connect with someone. So why is romance such an effort for humans, while animals have little trouble getting it right? Wild Connection is full of fascinating and suggestive observations about animal behavior. For example, in most species smell is an important component of determining compatibility. So are we humans doing the right thing by masking our natural scents with soaps and colognes? Royal albatrosses have a lengthy courtship period lasting several years. These birds instinctively know that casual hook-ups are not the way to find a reliable mate. And older female chimpanzees often mate with younger males. Is this the evolutionary basis of the human cougar phenomenon? Fun to read as well as educational, this unique take on the perennial human quest to find the ideal mate shows that we have much to learn from our cousins in the wild.

The author of "Animals in Translation" employs her own experience with autism and her background as an animal scientist to show how to give animals the best and happiest life.

This book demonstrates how detailed comparative analyses of the anatomy, reproductive physiology, and behaviour of non-human primates and other mammals can offer profound insights into the origins of human sexual behaviour.

Human Breeding - The Elephant in the Room. Whether we like it or not, and I suspect most won't, we can only be a percentage of our father and a percentage of our Mother. We cannot possible be anything else.If we'd had a different mother or father we would have different looks and personality - a different person. Once the sperm meets the egg our fate is set and our basic personality and character is triggered. We would like to believe that we are true individuals but this is an impossibility as we inherit our emotions from our parents, as is now generally accepted. These emotions will strengthen or weaken depending on the environment we are raised in. If we are raised in an aggressive environment and we have inherited an aggressive attitude from our parent/s (which is likely) we will have difficulty in controlling this emotion. 'Breeding', as regards to humans, is not a word you hear very often these days except perhaps in old films about the British Empire, for example. We usually use the word to refer to race horses or show dogs, but we not only breed these animals for speed, say, or colour or looks but also for temperament (emotions). If we wanted a viscous guard dog we would breed a viscous bitch with a viscous dog. So why do we find it difficult to accept 'human breeding' - for want of a better word. It could be argued, perhaps, that animal breeding could be an intentional mating, whereas human mating comes down to sexual attraction.One person may find another person of the opposite sex attractive (emotion) and another person might not. I won't attempt to answer that one - some say that opposites attract and others that 'birds of the feather flock together'.It's often stated that a person is a natural at such and such a thing - by studying the parents or even the grandparents of the person the strength can be explained.Feelings can only be inherited, we are not taught how to feel, they are in-built, we are only taught what to call them and how to control them by our parents, grandparents etc. (hopefully). As stated this gives us our personality/character.It makes logical sense that if someone suffering from 'psychological problems' (emotional problems) is taught that his problems are inherited and that he/she must learn how to control them with an independent mind they would understand themselves better and respond to treatment quicker.We have an independent mind that has to control the 'poor' emotions that we have. An independent mind that will find it very difficult to control emotions without positive thinking. But knowing that there is a conflict between what we feel and what we want to feel or think,can, I believe, greatly help everyone - understanding where the poor emotions/feelings come from.It's no good, of course, blaming our parents because they have inherited these emotions themselves! We obviously inherit good emotions also.

Birds do it, bees do it, penguins do it, and orangutans do it. By having sex and giving birth to offspring, animals ensure that their species will survive into the next generation. And in this quest for survival, animals go to great lengths. Some animal mating techniques may strike you as strange or gross, but to the animals themselves, these practices are essential. Animals with the best strategies for choosing mates and making babies ensure that their species live on. Without animal sex, there would be no animal life.

Sperm Competition and the Evolution of Animal Mating Systems describes the role of sperm competition in selection on a range of attributes from gamete morphology to species mating systems. This book is organized into 19 chapters and begins with the conceptualization of sperm competition as a subset of sexual selection and its implications for the insects. The following chapter describes the relationship between multiple mating and female fitness, with an emphasis on determining the conditions under which selection on females is likely to counteract selection on males for avoiding sperm competition. Other chapters consider the female perspective on sperm competition; the evolutionary causation at the level of the individual male gamete; and the correlation of high paternal investment and sperm precedence in the insects. The remaining chapters are arranged phylogenetically and explore the sperm competition in diverse animal taxa, such as the Drosophila, Lepidoptera, spiders, amphibians, and reptiles. These chapters also cover the evolution of direct versus indirect sperm transfer among the arachnids or the problem for kinship theory presented by multiple mating and sperm competition in the Hymenoptera. This book further discusses the remarkable potential for sperm competition among certain temperate bat species whose females store sperm through winter hibernation and the mixed strategies and male-caused female genital trauma as possible sperm competition adaptations in poeciliid fishes. The concluding chapter examines the predictions concerning testes size and mating systems in the primates and the possible role of sperm competition in human selection. This book is of great value to reproductive biologists and researchers.

An accessible reference, this book features short essays with selective references. Studies of evolutionary foundations of human nature have grown exponentially, so this body of knowledge is expanding rapidly. A wide range of eminent contributors promote synthesis across the social, behavioral, and life sciences.

At once a pioneering study of evolution and an accessible and lively reading experience, a book that offers the most convincing—and radical—explanation for how and why the human mind evolved. Consciousness, morality, creativity, language, and art: these are the traits that make us human. Scientists have traditionally explained these qualities as merely a side effect of surplus brain size, but Miller argues that they were sexual attractors, not side effects. He bases his argument on Darwin’ s theory of sexual selection, which until now has played second fiddle to Darwin’ s theory of natural selection, and draws on ideas and research from a wide range of fields, including psychology, economics, history, and pop culture. Witty, powerfully argued, and continually thought-provoking, The Mating Mind is a landmark in our understanding of our own species.

The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled, typically two days in length and international in scope. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentations by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. Colloquia presentations are recorded and posted on the National Academy of Sciences Sackler colloquia website and published on CD-ROM. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.