What's Love Got to Do with It?: The Evolution of Human Mating

Why do we fall in love with the people we do? Is there a a more "feminist" or alternative way to interpret traditional human sexual biology and evolution? These are but a few of the questions that anthropologist Meredith Small addresses in her compelling book on human mating, " What's Love Got To Do With It?" Romantic love very often has little to do with our sexual drives. More powerful and urgent is the biological imperative of passing on genes, and the adaptive behaviors that have evolved over time. Current research suggests alternative interpretations of traditional science that indicate an increased role on the part of human females in initiating sex, biologically controlling pregnancy, and more. Some scientists now see menstruation not as a "curse" but aas a protection against bacteria that can ride on the backs of sperm, and additional new evidence shows that sperm can be manipulated by the female as well as the male in the silent war over who conceives with whom. These are just some of the new hypotheses. Small explores that are forcing scientists to rethink the human sexual arena.