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Dawn of the Deed: The Prehistoric Origins of Sex
We all know about the birds and the bees, but what about the ancient placoderm fishes and the dinosaurs? The history of sex is as old as life itself—and as complicated and mysterious. And despite centuries of study there is always more to know. In 2008, paleontologist John A. Long and a team of researchers revealed their discovery of a placoderm fish fossil, known as “the mother fish,” which at 380 million years old revealed the oldest vertebrate embryo—the earliest known example of internal fertilization. As Long explains, this find led to the reexamination of countless fish fossils and the discovery of previously undetected embryos. As a result, placoderms are now considered to be the first species to have had intimate sexual reproduction or sex as we know it—sort of. Inspired by this incredible find, Long began a quest to uncover the paleontological and evolutionary history of copulation and insemination.
In The Dawn of the Deed, he takes readers on an entertaining and lively tour through the sex lives of ancient fish and exposes the unusual mating habits of arthropods, tortoises, and even a well-endowed (16.5 inches!) Argentine Duck. Long discusses these significant discoveries alongside what we know about reproductive biology and evolutionary theory, using the fossil record to provide a provocative account of prehistoric sex. The Dawn of the Deed also explores fascinating revelations about animal reproduction, from homosexual penguins to monogamous seahorses to the difficulties of dinosaur romance and how sexual organs in ancient shark-like fishes actually relate to our own sexual anatomy.
The Dawn of the Deed is Long’s own story of what it’s like to be a part of a discovery that rewrites evolutionary history as well as an absolutely rollicking guide to sex throughout the ages in the animal kingdom. It’s natural history with a naughty wink.
In The Dawn of the Deed, he takes readers on an entertaining and lively tour through the sex lives of ancient fish and exposes the unusual mating habits of arthropods, tortoises, and even a well-endowed (16.5 inches!) Argentine Duck. Long discusses these significant discoveries alongside what we know about reproductive biology and evolutionary theory, using the fossil record to provide a provocative account of prehistoric sex. The Dawn of the Deed also explores fascinating revelations about animal reproduction, from homosexual penguins to monogamous seahorses to the difficulties of dinosaur romance and how sexual organs in ancient shark-like fishes actually relate to our own sexual anatomy.
The Dawn of the Deed is Long’s own story of what it’s like to be a part of a discovery that rewrites evolutionary history as well as an absolutely rollicking guide to sex throughout the ages in the animal kingdom. It’s natural history with a naughty wink.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
39 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
John A. Long
35 books8 followersJohn Albert Long (born 1957) is an Australian paleontologist. He currently serves as Strategic Professor in Palaeontology at Flinders University, Adelaide.
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July 5, 2021Excellent title, excellent cover. Book itself is very much "scientist attempting to break into pop science" in that there's jokes, fun facts about duck penises, and a folksy style, but they rather feel like decorative elements on a serious book about the origins of sex and fossil evidence thereof. Still, that's interesting in itself, so I learned something. Mainly that barnacles have gigantic schlongs.
November 11, 2012
This book wasn't quite the Mary Roach-style tour de force I was expecting, with several parts being rather dry and filled with the author's back-patting about his own discoveries. That said, I did learn quite a bit, even if I wish there had been more theorizing on how dinosaurs actually reproduced, as hinted at by the excellent cover art.
Thankfully, there was some of the necessary humor here, particularly in the author's summation of his work at the book's conclusion:
So when you are next making love to that special person, and enjoying all the physiological pleasures afforded by our anatomy, give a little cry of joy for the ancient armored placoderm and all that it has given us.
Indeed, in the interests of science I now fully intend to shout the word "PLACODERM!" at the appropriate moment and observe the reaction I receive.
Thankfully, there was some of the necessary humor here, particularly in the author's summation of his work at the book's conclusion:
So when you are next making love to that special person, and enjoying all the physiological pleasures afforded by our anatomy, give a little cry of joy for the ancient armored placoderm and all that it has given us.
Indeed, in the interests of science I now fully intend to shout the word "PLACODERM!" at the appropriate moment and observe the reaction I receive.
January 12, 2015
Don't look at the dinosaurs on the cover--there's only one thin chapter on the terrible lizards (and that's because there is very little in the way of fossil evidence regarding their reproductive apparatus). However, there is wonderful material on fossil fishes and I remembered why I enjoy reading about paleontology so much. I think I may have to re-read "Your Inner Fish," another of these inspiring books. Is it too late in my 50s to become a paleontologist? At least its not too late to read about it!
The author is Australian and used humour to make this a more accessible book. I "get" Aussie humour when I hear it, but struggled with it in written form. But I appreciate that this subject matter is best approached in a less-than-dead-serious manner.
Overall, an interesting and fun book to read. And its sent me back towards non-fiction, remembering my love of learning.
The author is Australian and used humour to make this a more accessible book. I "get" Aussie humour when I hear it, but struggled with it in written form. But I appreciate that this subject matter is best approached in a less-than-dead-serious manner.
Overall, an interesting and fun book to read. And its sent me back towards non-fiction, remembering my love of learning.
January 11, 2013
Semi-unfortunately, the cover is kind of the best part of the book.
Based on the blurb (and yes, the cover), I was expecting this book to be a tongue-in-cheek romp through the evolution of sex, spurred on by the author's discovery of an important fossil (the oldest found pregnant animal, and subsequently, the world's oldest willy). And to give it some credit, there was a little bit of that in the book, and those were the parts I enjoyed the most. I never thought I would learn so much about the mating habits of ancient fish and modern day sharks (the most analagous animals usually used by paleontologists to try to figure out the mysteries of said ancient fishes).
I also enjoyed the parts where he just casually throws weird shit out, like all the scientists in the world who study truly bizarre things: the guys who make ducks ejaculate into jars so they can measure the speed with which the duck's enormous penis pops out of its body (it's 75 miles per hour, in case you're curious), or the guys who spend their entire lives making drawings of what fish genitalia might have looked like. I even enjoyed the scholarly mumbo-jumbo, although I don't think most people will, because I like that sort of thing.
What I didn't expect was that he spends roughly half of the book talking about how he made his famous discoveries, rather than about their implications, and he seems to think the story is a lot more fascinating than it actually is. He also name drops, A LOT. Some of this story is pretty interesting, for the insight into how these sorts of discoveries develop, from the moment of discovery through publication all the way to mass media coverage. But a lot of it reads kind of like a guy who got famous for discovering something important, got his head inflated a little, and decided to write a book about it. I'm not exactly sure who his audience is, either. The lack of science seems like it would turn off the scholarly crowd (except for the people he writes about, and those people were probably like, HEY THAT'S ME!), and the science that is there isn't as interesting to a layperson as it could be. There also isn't that much to tell about the discovery, but Long stretches it out about as far as it will go.
Overall, interesting, but wouldn't really recommend it unless you're curious. In that case, it's a fast read and you do learn stuff. I just wish there had been more science and less THIS IS WHAT I DID AS A YOUNG SCHOLAR WITH THIS OTHER FAMOUS GUY POODLY TOOT.
I would like a printout of that cover for my wall, though. Genius.
Based on the blurb (and yes, the cover), I was expecting this book to be a tongue-in-cheek romp through the evolution of sex, spurred on by the author's discovery of an important fossil (the oldest found pregnant animal, and subsequently, the world's oldest willy). And to give it some credit, there was a little bit of that in the book, and those were the parts I enjoyed the most. I never thought I would learn so much about the mating habits of ancient fish and modern day sharks (the most analagous animals usually used by paleontologists to try to figure out the mysteries of said ancient fishes).
I also enjoyed the parts where he just casually throws weird shit out, like all the scientists in the world who study truly bizarre things: the guys who make ducks ejaculate into jars so they can measure the speed with which the duck's enormous penis pops out of its body (it's 75 miles per hour, in case you're curious), or the guys who spend their entire lives making drawings of what fish genitalia might have looked like. I even enjoyed the scholarly mumbo-jumbo, although I don't think most people will, because I like that sort of thing.
What I didn't expect was that he spends roughly half of the book talking about how he made his famous discoveries, rather than about their implications, and he seems to think the story is a lot more fascinating than it actually is. He also name drops, A LOT. Some of this story is pretty interesting, for the insight into how these sorts of discoveries develop, from the moment of discovery through publication all the way to mass media coverage. But a lot of it reads kind of like a guy who got famous for discovering something important, got his head inflated a little, and decided to write a book about it. I'm not exactly sure who his audience is, either. The lack of science seems like it would turn off the scholarly crowd (except for the people he writes about, and those people were probably like, HEY THAT'S ME!), and the science that is there isn't as interesting to a layperson as it could be. There also isn't that much to tell about the discovery, but Long stretches it out about as far as it will go.
Overall, interesting, but wouldn't really recommend it unless you're curious. In that case, it's a fast read and you do learn stuff. I just wish there had been more science and less THIS IS WHAT I DID AS A YOUNG SCHOLAR WITH THIS OTHER FAMOUS GUY POODLY TOOT.
I would like a printout of that cover for my wall, though. Genius.
April 7, 2017
Cute cover, and the author evidently had a lot of fun punning the shit out of this subject.
Perhaps he should be a stand-up comedian. The book would have been more concise without the first, autobiographical half, but he writes interestingly enough to make that slightly more forgivable.
___
Scientists in film and television tend to be depicted as villains, geeks or jerks. Rare indeed is a Hollywood script or scripted drama that tells a story about science that's both serious and entertaining. That strongly affects how we think. -Unscientific America
Selection pressure drives evolution in two general directions: r or K strategies. R strategies occur in unstable or pressured environments where the need is to reproduce quickly. Animals respond by producing vast numbers of offspring, as the cut-throat world they live in means most of them will become prey for other organisms; so long as a few survive to reproduce, their species will continue.
In stable and predictable environments, the K-strategy organisms invest more time and energy to produce fewer but more developed offspring. These species include most mammals, we humans in particular.
The development of the amnion membrane meant that the developing animal inside the egg could still breathe while retaining moisture inside the shell. No longer did creatures need to go back to water to breed, they could lay eggs on land. This innovation was the singular most important event in our entire evolution because it necessitated a new way of mating for this group: compulsory internal fertilisation.
Three main kinds of mammalian penis have evolved. The first is made of fibroelastic tissue, as found in cattle, pigs and whales. These are always semi-erect and the tissue, being dense and firm, enables the penis to be expanded in thickness but does not increase its length by much, so it's better adapted for staying in during copulation to ensure longer times for sperm transfer.
The second kind is that supported by a bone called the 'os baculum'. The baculum exists as single large ossified unit inside the penis of carnivorans (dogs, seals, bears, weasels and their kin), rodents (but not rabbits), bats, insectivores, and most primates, but not us humans.
The third kind is the vascular penis, exemplified by us humans. It has a very spongy structure, enabling it to increase in size dramatically.
About 1500 species of animals from insects through to humans have been observed to exhibit some form of homosexual or bisexual behaviour.
There also exists the short-nosed Chinese fruit bat, which regularly practices fellatio. By performing this act it increases the length of copulation time, thus contributing to greater reproductive success.
Perhaps he should be a stand-up comedian. The book would have been more concise without the first, autobiographical half, but he writes interestingly enough to make that slightly more forgivable.
___
Scientists in film and television tend to be depicted as villains, geeks or jerks. Rare indeed is a Hollywood script or scripted drama that tells a story about science that's both serious and entertaining. That strongly affects how we think. -Unscientific America
Selection pressure drives evolution in two general directions: r or K strategies. R strategies occur in unstable or pressured environments where the need is to reproduce quickly. Animals respond by producing vast numbers of offspring, as the cut-throat world they live in means most of them will become prey for other organisms; so long as a few survive to reproduce, their species will continue.
In stable and predictable environments, the K-strategy organisms invest more time and energy to produce fewer but more developed offspring. These species include most mammals, we humans in particular.
The development of the amnion membrane meant that the developing animal inside the egg could still breathe while retaining moisture inside the shell. No longer did creatures need to go back to water to breed, they could lay eggs on land. This innovation was the singular most important event in our entire evolution because it necessitated a new way of mating for this group: compulsory internal fertilisation.
Three main kinds of mammalian penis have evolved. The first is made of fibroelastic tissue, as found in cattle, pigs and whales. These are always semi-erect and the tissue, being dense and firm, enables the penis to be expanded in thickness but does not increase its length by much, so it's better adapted for staying in during copulation to ensure longer times for sperm transfer.
The second kind is that supported by a bone called the 'os baculum'. The baculum exists as single large ossified unit inside the penis of carnivorans (dogs, seals, bears, weasels and their kin), rodents (but not rabbits), bats, insectivores, and most primates, but not us humans.
The third kind is the vascular penis, exemplified by us humans. It has a very spongy structure, enabling it to increase in size dramatically.
About 1500 species of animals from insects through to humans have been observed to exhibit some form of homosexual or bisexual behaviour.
There also exists the short-nosed Chinese fruit bat, which regularly practices fellatio. By performing this act it increases the length of copulation time, thus contributing to greater reproductive success.
January 14, 2013
I get a kick out of ordering books for the library. Sometimes its the cover image, and sometimes its the title, but usually every magazine I use to order books has at least one really funny nonfiction item in it. A couple months ago I stumbled across this one, Dawn of the Deed with appropriately colored male and female dinosaur skeletons getting down and dirty. As I read more about the book, it actually sounded really interesting and posed several interesting questions. Notably, how did sexual copulation develop? When did it develop? and why do different species have different adaptations for sexual dimorphism and reproduction?
Those might sound like some heavy questions, but John Long does an excellent job at keeping the terminology he uses at a layman's level and defines words that might be challenging to the average reader. Since this book is told partly as a memoir of Long working with prehistoric fish skeletons, the language is actually very easy to follow, and has that personal attachment that make the subject less dry and boring and more amusing to follow. Long also gets really into explaining how sexual selection and mating rituals for animals like spiders, frogs, and echidna are far more deviant or fetish-like that have been given credit. Humans aren't the only ones with creativity in the bedroom. However, Long has done his part to make me even more freaked out by spiders and bed bugs which apparently have penises that have a sharp spike on the end used for STABBING THE FEMALE IN THE OVARIES! Basically bypassing the whole uterine tracts and such to get the sperm directly into the ovaries as quickly as possible. Uh, yuck, but at the same time, fascinating.
I am a firm believer that conversations about sex are should not be secrets and should not be something that cause shame, so I am always excited to see scientific books about sex and reproduction that make the learning fun, interesting and open. With his funny premise and entertaining anecdotes, you'll be surprised at all the information you are really learning.
Those might sound like some heavy questions, but John Long does an excellent job at keeping the terminology he uses at a layman's level and defines words that might be challenging to the average reader. Since this book is told partly as a memoir of Long working with prehistoric fish skeletons, the language is actually very easy to follow, and has that personal attachment that make the subject less dry and boring and more amusing to follow. Long also gets really into explaining how sexual selection and mating rituals for animals like spiders, frogs, and echidna are far more deviant or fetish-like that have been given credit. Humans aren't the only ones with creativity in the bedroom. However, Long has done his part to make me even more freaked out by spiders and bed bugs which apparently have penises that have a sharp spike on the end used for STABBING THE FEMALE IN THE OVARIES! Basically bypassing the whole uterine tracts and such to get the sperm directly into the ovaries as quickly as possible. Uh, yuck, but at the same time, fascinating.
I am a firm believer that conversations about sex are should not be secrets and should not be something that cause shame, so I am always excited to see scientific books about sex and reproduction that make the learning fun, interesting and open. With his funny premise and entertaining anecdotes, you'll be surprised at all the information you are really learning.
July 5, 2014
I really wanted to like this book. It had so many things going for it--I'm into palaeontology, sexuality, and the author's name is John A. Long and he's writing about sex. I mean c'mon.
Unfortunately, I am not interested in The Life and Times of John A. Long, which was most of the book's content.
If I could have read the stripped-down version of the book, without his autobiographical content (which I found, frankly, kind of narcissistic), I think it could have been really interesting and enjoyable. The sections about fossils and his research into the origins of sex were very good. The rest, not so much.
If you want to read about the origins of sex without reading about John A. Long, I recommend
Merged review:
Did not finish.
I really wanted to like this book. It had so many things going for it--I'm into palaeontology, sexuality, and the author's name is John A. Long and he's writing about sex. I mean c'mon.
Unfortunately, I am not interested in The Life and Times of John A. Long, which was most of the book's content.
If I could have read the stripped-down version of the book, without his autobiographical content (which I found, frankly, kind of narcissistic), I think it could have been really interesting and enjoyable. The sections about fossils and his research into the origins of sex were very good. The rest, not so much.
If you want to read about the origins of sex without reading about John A. Long, I recommend Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health. It has an excellent chapter about sexuality.
Unfortunately, I am not interested in The Life and Times of John A. Long, which was most of the book's content.
If I could have read the stripped-down version of the book, without his autobiographical content (which I found, frankly, kind of narcissistic), I think it could have been really interesting and enjoyable. The sections about fossils and his research into the origins of sex were very good. The rest, not so much.
If you want to read about the origins of sex without reading about John A. Long, I recommend
Merged review:
Did not finish.
I really wanted to like this book. It had so many things going for it--I'm into palaeontology, sexuality, and the author's name is John A. Long and he's writing about sex. I mean c'mon.
Unfortunately, I am not interested in The Life and Times of John A. Long, which was most of the book's content.
If I could have read the stripped-down version of the book, without his autobiographical content (which I found, frankly, kind of narcissistic), I think it could have been really interesting and enjoyable. The sections about fossils and his research into the origins of sex were very good. The rest, not so much.
If you want to read about the origins of sex without reading about John A. Long, I recommend Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health. It has an excellent chapter about sexuality.
December 21, 2012
This was a wham-bam-thank-you-man type introduction to the origins of sex. Quite frankly, that's how I like my introductions - mildly amusing but with just enough information to quickly satisfy my curiosity so I can move on to other things.
The author is a paleontologist so he focused quite a bit on fishy fossils from the 380-million years ago range . He went in depth about the "mother fish" that was unearthed which died carrying live young. And he also yammered on for quite about about the hunt for the ancient placoderm penis, sorry I mean clasper. I don't know that the chapter on how the media really took to these discoveries was really necessary, but I don't really begrudge him his "rock star" moment (scientific publishing is so competitive and structured, where else could he tell this story? [Heh, get a blog.]).
Anyway, then the author went a little further back (few 100 million years or so) and then took us up through modern times. So we went from speculation on the mechanics of dinosaur sex (hard to determine behavior when all you have are fossil remains)all the way to fellatio among some fruit bats (sexy!). It seemed that the vast majority of sources the author cited in text were fairly recent (mostly from the past 10 or so years) so it seems like research has progressed quite a bit in recent times. And it seems like maybe I should plan to check back in in maybe another 10 years to see what else has come to light.
The author is a paleontologist so he focused quite a bit on fishy fossils from the 380-million years ago range . He went in depth about the "mother fish" that was unearthed which died carrying live young. And he also yammered on for quite about about the hunt for the ancient placoderm penis, sorry I mean clasper. I don't know that the chapter on how the media really took to these discoveries was really necessary, but I don't really begrudge him his "rock star" moment (scientific publishing is so competitive and structured, where else could he tell this story? [Heh, get a blog.]).
Anyway, then the author went a little further back (few 100 million years or so) and then took us up through modern times. So we went from speculation on the mechanics of dinosaur sex (hard to determine behavior when all you have are fossil remains)all the way to fellatio among some fruit bats (sexy!). It seemed that the vast majority of sources the author cited in text were fairly recent (mostly from the past 10 or so years) so it seems like research has progressed quite a bit in recent times. And it seems like maybe I should plan to check back in in maybe another 10 years to see what else has come to light.
September 12, 2013
So, this book is not about dinosaur sex, or at least in the sense that is depicted on the cover (great cover, anyway). For that, check My Beloved Brontosaurus, which has a nice chapter on the subject (and the rest of the book is quite good too). Long's title covers the evolution of sex from the very beginnings, around 380 million years ago or so. Long is especially suited to tell this tale, being one of the scientists who discovered the fossil of Materpiscis, the earliest known evidence of a embryo with umbilical cord, indicating internal fertilization. Much of the book focuses on that discovery, and while Long keeps the amount of hard science to a minimum, it can be a little hard for the layperson to follow along. But aside from that criticism, the rest of the book is quite entertaining and informative. Long provides examples of the truly amazing variety of sexual behaviors and adaptations nature has made over the course of millenia, and how what appears bizarre in our ancestors (yes, even that armored Materpiscis) makes sense in the development of the one penis, missionary position, egg and sperm fertilitzation that we know and love today. A worthwhile read for the those interested in how the fossil record is being examined today.
March 2, 2022
Dawn of the Deed is about the origins of sex as well as the anatomical bits that make it possible. In case you were wondering why sex is important, it’s critical to evolution because it results in the production of genetically varied offspring that are better able to adapt and survive.
The book was written by Australian paleontologist John A. Long Anyway and in the first section he describes his discovery of a fossil of Materpiscis M. attenboroughi (see image above), a tiny fish that lived more than 350 million years ago. The fossil shows an unborn embryo present inside the mother, with a mineralized umbilical cord (making this the oldest vertebrate known to give birth to live young).
What does this have to do with the origins of sex? Well … in order to give birth to live young the Materpiscis (mother fish) had to undergo internal fertilization (i.e. make the beast with two backs, bump uglies, knock boots, play hide the canoli, take a roll in the hay, slam the ham, ride the baloney pony, shuck the oyster, butter the biscuit, have amorous congress, make whoopee, get laid, make love, fornicate, have relations, do the nasty, bang, bonk, shag, shtupp, bone, rut, score and … last but not least … get some stank on the hang down).
Lest that get you worked up in any way, it’s worth remembering that we’re talking about a carp-sized fish that got-it-on via the use of two ‘claspers’, structures formed from the posterior portion of their pelvic fin that channel semen into the female's cloaca during mating.
The latter portion of the book discusses the evolution of sex more generally and the various methods these early creatures may have employed to procreate.
Anyway, I found the book reasonably interesting (particularly the 2nd half) and, unlike some scientists turned popular author, Long makes a lively attempt to engage the reader and generate curiosity.
PSA: I picked up Dawn of the Deed for free from the University of Chicago press (who offer a free monthly e-book if you subscribe to their website: https://press.uchicago.edu/books/free...).
August 14, 2018
"So when you are next making love to that special person, and enjoying all the physiological pleasures afforded by our anatomy, give a little cry of joy for the ancient armored placoderm and all that it has given us. Because of some strange twist of biological fate, we have kept one of the most interesting parts of our reproductive anatomy from our archaic evolutionary history when other lines of animals managed to do perfectly well without it."
Indeed.
An engaging, humorous survey of the evolutionary history of sex and insemination. Long does spend about the first half of the book discussing his work; I see how it's related to the second half of the text but it probably could have been cut back a bit.
Indeed.
An engaging, humorous survey of the evolutionary history of sex and insemination. Long does spend about the first half of the book discussing his work; I see how it's related to the second half of the text but it probably could have been cut back a bit.
October 7, 2021
This was an interesting book, pretty much just what you think it will be. It did read much more on the science-y side than the humorous side, letting the material covered speak for itself. And it's not just fun facts, but he explains the methods of science and how each particular find related to others and the whole picture of evolution. It did include some photos (which I am not ashamed to admit always delights me in any non fiction book)of fossils and dig sites.
August 10, 2017
Interesting book, but was more about the author's personal experiences in paleontology and less about the general body of knowledge regarding origins of sex. I expected more about what the fossil record tells us about the evolution of sex. Overall a good read and enjoyable to hear about the author's life but definitely did not fulfill what the title promised.
August 22, 2022
This was a very readable book that did what it said on the cover. I'd say 3.5 stars, rounded up. The cover is entirely misleading, given that most of the research in the book deals with the very beginnings of sexual reproduction. The author was having too much fun with puns in the first chapter (and I like puns!), but managed to moderate himself in later ones
April 16, 2022
Not my cup of tea. I liked the facts about modern animal mating, but the details about extinct animals was mostly speculation. There is too much detail about the author's work that I wasn't interested in.
April 9, 2018
Moreso the biological origins of sex in the fossil history, than anything in particular about homo sapiens.
February 8, 2019
Absolutely picked up this book for its cover. It was informative and oftentimes funny but a little disjointed. Absolutely keeping it on my shelf though, whoever designed the cover is a hero
Want to read
July 1, 2021The University of Chicago Press's free book of the month for July 2021. Can be read online or downloaded with Adobe Digital Editions.
December 7, 2022
Amusing and interesting at points, but spends way too much time on fish with annoying names (ptyctodontids).
September 4, 2013
Back in my junior high biology class, I remember watching a movie called “The Miracle of Life,” and basically, it was the event of the year. My fellow peers would make up stories about the film, adding to the enigmatic mythology. “Did you hear about James Walters? He threw up when the baby starts coming out!” “I heard they show everything… like even the part where they have sex!” “Mary Jones’ parents wouldn’t let her watch the movie, said it was too perverted!” While most if these rumors turned out to be untrue, (except for the part where they show them having sex… I was scarred for life) the film was the best form of birth control I could imagine for a bunch of 13 year olds who just discovered that maybe girls/boys aren’t that icky anymore. I also learned that the birthing process is messy and somewhat looks as though an alien being expelled from a woman’s vagina. I wondered why would a woman ever submit herself to that sort of pain. I did not see the appeal.
The answer is, of course, instinct (and that sex is fun.)
The Dawn of the Deed begins with this question: where did sex come from? Whose bright idea was it to put one sensitive organ inside the other, shake vigorously?
Our author, John A. Long, is a paleontologist who makes an alarming discovery about ancient fish in Australia: they had sex and they liked it. They would carry their young for a certain gestation period (like humans.) But why is this so alarming? Because pervious evidence suggested that ancient fish acted more like the fish of today (no sex/ fertilization of eggs occurs outside the female’s body.)
This book also provides facts that I found…. Enlightening:
The Argentine Duck’s penis is one third the size of its body. It shoots out at 70 mph while entering the female’s vagina.
Cats yowl while having sex because the male cat has spikes on his penis (in order to scrape out competing males’ sperm.)
Bed bugs procreate by stabbing the female in the abdomen and inserting the sperm directing into the female’s body.
Unlike most mammals who have a mating season, human males have evolved to be sexually attracted to females any time of year.
No one knows how dinosaurs procreated. Dinosaur sex is one of the big mysteries of our time.
I found this book to be perverse yet fascinating, not unlike “The Miracle of Life” I watched oh so many years ago. So I recommend to anyone who is a little bit curious about ancient sex; the basis of modern life.
The answer is, of course, instinct (and that sex is fun.)
The Dawn of the Deed begins with this question: where did sex come from? Whose bright idea was it to put one sensitive organ inside the other, shake vigorously?
Our author, John A. Long, is a paleontologist who makes an alarming discovery about ancient fish in Australia: they had sex and they liked it. They would carry their young for a certain gestation period (like humans.) But why is this so alarming? Because pervious evidence suggested that ancient fish acted more like the fish of today (no sex/ fertilization of eggs occurs outside the female’s body.)
This book also provides facts that I found…. Enlightening:
The Argentine Duck’s penis is one third the size of its body. It shoots out at 70 mph while entering the female’s vagina.
Cats yowl while having sex because the male cat has spikes on his penis (in order to scrape out competing males’ sperm.)
Bed bugs procreate by stabbing the female in the abdomen and inserting the sperm directing into the female’s body.
Unlike most mammals who have a mating season, human males have evolved to be sexually attracted to females any time of year.
No one knows how dinosaurs procreated. Dinosaur sex is one of the big mysteries of our time.
I found this book to be perverse yet fascinating, not unlike “The Miracle of Life” I watched oh so many years ago. So I recommend to anyone who is a little bit curious about ancient sex; the basis of modern life.
September 21, 2016
The Biological Imperative:
In a remote corner of north-western Australia stands an immense fossil reef formation called the Gogo. It was there in 2007 that paleontologist John A. Long made an astounding discovery: A unique collection of fossil fish complete with tiny embryos, an umbilical cord and "claspers" for internal fertilization. Truly the find of a lifetime. In his book "The Dawn of the Deed" Dr. Long relates the circumstances around his unique discovery and the biology behind his conclusions. When it comes to reproduction in fossil species the evidence can be scanty or even nonexistent. In the past whatever evidence that may have been present was often overlooked or inadvertently destroyed during the collection process. One way to get tiny, or fragile, fossils out of it's rocky matrix is to use a week acid solution that dissolves the rock but leaves the fossil itself intact and undamaged. In the case of Dr. Long's specimen, a small Devonian Placoderm, it's length at just under a foot while the embryos are microscopic in size. So the collection process was a kind of minor miracle in itself. On the whole, however, fossil evidence for "internal fertilization" or "live birth" is not that common with only a few specimens found world wide. In this fascinating book Dr. Long covers the whole process in detail and compares that with what we know about reproduction in living organisms; birds, sharks, other fish, and a close look at modern mammals including whales and primates. Reproduction in reptiles like snakes and turtles leads us on to speculation on how dinosaurs or prehistoric marine reptiles may have done it with each species facing its own challenges. The author also traces the history of this particular study and how ideas have changed over the years from the initial speculations and on to our modern theories. One chapter discuses the "sperm wars" theory and how that may have influenced evolution in the long run. "The Dawn of the Deed" is a well written, informative, look into how sex works in modern and prehistoric life forms, giving the reader an intimate and often humorous look at when it all started and where it's all going. If your at all interested in biology and paleontology you may find this book to be a good read, I did. I had no downloading or technical problems with this Kindle edition.
Last Ranger
December 16, 2012
I loved this book. The title and content were provocative and did not disappoint.
I really enjoy fun, educational, and awe inspiring science writing. Whether it's about space or physics or time or psychology or, as in the case of this book, evolution, I like reading something and not only learning, but being able to understand things that may otherwise be complicated. Not only that, but I love when I read a book and it quotes another book I love, in this case quoting Neil Shubin's "Your Inner Fish," which is brilliant.
John Lang sets out to understand when and why life on earth developed sex between male and females in a species. His own work shows proof of sex at over 300 million years ago and the work of others shows sex existing over 550 million years ago. That alone is amazing!
But it's more than that. Lang writes with enthusiasm, almost like a child in discovery saying to an adult "you will never guess what I found out!!!" His own fossil finding showed the earliest known fossil embryo and then his colleague looked further to find the earliest known umbilical cord. The work in this book shows not only that sex happened, but how species cared for their young in utero and what we can then infer about how species had sex hundreds of millions of years ago, why, and what that lead to later.
Lang explains sperm competition, how body plans evolved, and how significant sex was and is for species of all sizes and shapes.
The only reason I gave this a 4 instead of a 5 is that a lot of the beginning is about Lang and his team and how they shared their results, which was just alright, but I still highly recommend this enjoyable and informative book about sex and evolution.
I really enjoy fun, educational, and awe inspiring science writing. Whether it's about space or physics or time or psychology or, as in the case of this book, evolution, I like reading something and not only learning, but being able to understand things that may otherwise be complicated. Not only that, but I love when I read a book and it quotes another book I love, in this case quoting Neil Shubin's "Your Inner Fish," which is brilliant.
John Lang sets out to understand when and why life on earth developed sex between male and females in a species. His own work shows proof of sex at over 300 million years ago and the work of others shows sex existing over 550 million years ago. That alone is amazing!
But it's more than that. Lang writes with enthusiasm, almost like a child in discovery saying to an adult "you will never guess what I found out!!!" His own fossil finding showed the earliest known fossil embryo and then his colleague looked further to find the earliest known umbilical cord. The work in this book shows not only that sex happened, but how species cared for their young in utero and what we can then infer about how species had sex hundreds of millions of years ago, why, and what that lead to later.
Lang explains sperm competition, how body plans evolved, and how significant sex was and is for species of all sizes and shapes.
The only reason I gave this a 4 instead of a 5 is that a lot of the beginning is about Lang and his team and how they shared their results, which was just alright, but I still highly recommend this enjoyable and informative book about sex and evolution.
March 14, 2013
It is probably unsurprising that I enjoyed a book about the evolution of sex. John A. Long spends the first half of the book describing how he and his scientific collaborators discovered the oldest evidence of sexual congress in vertebrates (375 million year old claspers in ancient fish). That's pretty interesting on its own, but the second half of the book gets far kinkier as Long surveys what we know about the evolution of copulation. I don't totally agree with his ideas on penis evolution in amniotes (hemipenes, ancestral? - show me the evidence!), but his survey of the anatomy is very helpful. Even I learned a couple a new things!
**Complete disclosure: Long cites a couple of my research papers in his bibliography.
**Complete disclosure: Long cites a couple of my research papers in his bibliography.
January 5, 2013
I keep going back and forth between three and four stars for this book; I'd like to give it 3.5.
The first half of the book is the author's own story of finding fossilized proof of viviparous fish and, as he calls it, history's "first fuck." The second half is the various reproductive processes of various animals. I'm so happy I'm not a female hyena.
The writing is accessible, conversational in places. I didn't have to force myself to keep reading, and I know more than I did before I read it. A successful, satisfactory read.
The first half of the book is the author's own story of finding fossilized proof of viviparous fish and, as he calls it, history's "first fuck." The second half is the various reproductive processes of various animals. I'm so happy I'm not a female hyena.
The writing is accessible, conversational in places. I didn't have to force myself to keep reading, and I know more than I did before I read it. A successful, satisfactory read.
January 15, 2013
I liked the first eight chapters, but really enjoyed the rest. The author warns in the introduction that the beginning is fairly autobiographical regarding his work with Devonian fishes, with the rest being a general history of sex. The fish stuff was interesting. The rest was sometimes horrifying, sometimes hilarious, from the tales of bugs that stab females to forcibly inseminate them to the awesome description of the flailing, scatological mating dance of the male ostrich. The animal kingdom is messed up man, even without us humans in it.
January 3, 2013
I bought the book after listening to an interview with John Long on Quirks & Quarks and this is a good one. Although there is some excellent science in the book, the author never misses a chance to add some humour. Mainly focused on his discovery that a prehistoric fish had sex - you have to read the book - it was the description of how sex has evolved in different animals that is amazing, bizarre, and sometimes somewhat disconcerting. A great read.
August 15, 2013
Dr. Long has written a very funny book about a serious subject. The genesis of the book was a famous discovery that he and a team of researchers made of a rare placoderm fossil.
Aside from Dr. Long's rather sophomoric jokes about sex organs, this is the kind of book I find entertaining and enlightening.
Aside from Dr. Long's rather sophomoric jokes about sex organs, this is the kind of book I find entertaining and enlightening.
May 4, 2014
Palaeontology is boring. As is the story of getting a palaeontology paper published.
The descriptions of positions animals need to assume to mate were insufficiently graphic. They could have benefitted from more diagrams.
The descriptions of positions animals need to assume to mate were insufficiently graphic. They could have benefitted from more diagrams.
July 9, 2013
OK with some interesting material but a little over the top in the regard that it seems like a diary of the author's personal accomplishments and anecdotes. Was hoping for a bit more technical coverage of the material.
January 22, 2015
Fascinating and. though academic, engaging and frequently quite funny.
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