Olivia Judson

“Sex is any process that mixes genes from different individuals.”

“Evolution does not obey human notions of morality, nor is human morality a reflection of some natural law. The deadly sins would be different if they mirrored evolutionary no-no’s. Lust, for one, would be deemed a virtue; chastity would be deplored.”

“Indeed, natural selection discriminates against well-behaved losers.”

“I’m afraid that females in many species often provoke males into fighting over them. When the mood strikes, they make themselves conspicuous—then stand back and watch the battle, before mating with the winner.”

“You’ve just got a case of SINBAD: Single Income, No Babe, Absolutely Desperate.”

“Natural selection, it seems, often smiles on strumpets. Sorry, boys.”

“If a proclivity for promiscuity is genetic, then yes, promiscuous behavior will become more common if loose females tend to have more children than their monogamous peers. That’s how natural selection works.”

“Boys, I’m afraid the way to a woman’s bed is often through her stomach.”

“As we shall see, when females mate with more than one male, War capers nimbly through the boudoirs, imps of discord frolicking in his wake.”

“The battle of the sexes is no myth. Success at sexual reproduction is at the heart of the evolutionary process. But greater success for her often means less success for him. The upshot? An eternal war—and an astounding diversity of strategies.”