Sex at Dawn

Exploring the evolutionary origins of modern sexuality.

Christopher Ryan, Ph.D. is co-author of Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality (HarperCollins 2010). See full bio

November 16, 2009

Learning to Masturbate in Spain

Extramadura, which is kind of like the Kansas of Spain, has instituted a sex education program for kids between 14 and 17 that is—brace yourself—not freaked out about masturbation. Read More

November 11, 2009

David Brooks Trips Over His Own Feet

Writing isn't normally considered a high-risk activity, but when your job requires you to come up with 800 words of wisdom and originality to be read by millions week after week, things can go horribly wrong. Read More

November 9, 2009

The Courage to Quit: U.S. out of Afghanistan

For all his brilliance, President Obama appears to have painted himself into a bloody corner of Afghanistan by following the very American anti-quitting script. Read More

November 7, 2009

America Eats its Young: Playing Hurt at Fort Hood

America's self-image is founded on denial.

We see ourselves as a freedom-loving nation, but no country on Earth has more of its people in cages than we do.

Americans see themselves as defending peace in the world, but no country is more war-like. Read More

October 16, 2009

Fascinating Figures: Andrew Weil

Andrew Weil dreamt of blowing peoples' minds. He wanted to slip past their defenses by impressing them with his impeccable credentials. Then, once accepted as a trusted authority and admired colleague, he'd quietly plant the cognitive bombs. Read More

October 13, 2009

Did Monogamy Begin 4.4 Million Years Ago?

Prominent anthropologist Owen Lovejoy published a paper called, "Reexamining human origins in light ofArdipithecus Ramidus" last week in which he argues that 4.4 million year-old bits of bone found in Africa demonstrate that our ancestors were joined in pair-bonded couples even then. But to make this all-too-familiar argument, Lovejoy misleads, misunderstands, and misstates his own findings to the point where, if this were a graduate-school paper, his professor would surely demand a re-write.

October 8, 2009

Love, Lust, and Letterman

Some women see that many men experience intimacy differently and conclude that men are liars, incapable of feeling "real" love. Others—particularly women from cultures less puritanical about sex than America—conclude simply that we're different, and that some things can be accepted, even if not fully understood. Read More

September 22, 2009

Destroying Kids to Save Them (From Sex)

America has a long tradition of sacrificing innocents upon the high altar of sexual hypocrisy. Read More

September 22, 2009

Media Watch: David Gregory (Among Others) is Full of Sh#t

Is David Gregory too stupid to understand that he distorted Carter's words, or does he just not care? Read More

September 21, 2009

Fascinating Figures: Richard Evans Schultes

Richard Evans Schultes (Jan 12, 1915 - April 10, 2001) was the sort of character Hollywood hasn't the imagination to invent. The true facts of his life make Indiana Jones look like a couch potato. Read More

Sex Basics

Sex is the most profound and intimate way to express your love for someone. Different people enjoy and pursue sex in different forms—as the pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey put it, the only universal in human sexuality is variability itself. But within the universe of intimacy and pleasure that sex affords is a lot of room for error.

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