The Story of Sex and Its Human Legacy

Eric S. Haag

Professor of Biology, Director of the Biological Sciences Graduate Program
University of Maryland, College Park

In conversation with:

Rachel Singpurwalla

Associate Professor of Philosophy
University of Maryland, College Park

At Busboys & Poets, 450K St 

Sex shapes who we are as individuals and as a species. Where in the mists of time did something so important—and eye-catching—originate, and what does this history tell us about ourselves? Why do we have sex, and sexes, at all?

In this conversation the evolutionary and developmental biologist Eric S. Haag explores the two-billion-year history of sex, from the first organisms on Earth to contemporary humans. He delves into the deep history of sexual reproduction, from its origins as a fix for a mutational crisis to an essential feature of all complex life. Haag traces sexual differentiation from its earliest forms in microbes to its elaboration in animals, showing why sex differences in cells and organisms help species adapt, persist, and evolve. Humanity’s clear sexual kinship with yeast and clams exists even as we evolved differences that distinguish us from other mammals, and even other apes.

Bringing the story up to the present, Haag argues that the evolutionary history of human sexuality helps us better understand contemporary society. Our ancient male-female sexual system remains an important fact of life, even as we see increasingly diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and parenthood choices. Haag offers a clear view of the evolutionary roots of human sexuality and their significance today.

Time will be allocated for Q&A.

"This beautifully written book provides a tour of the biology of sex, offering both a rigorous overview and deeper evolutionary framing to help the reader fully grasp the key issues. Writing in a friendly, approachable voice, Eric S. Haag does a lovely job in drawing the reader into the relevance of a particular question and then zooming out to see where that issue fits in the broader scope of human evolution."Lisa M. Diamond, author of Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women’s Love and Desire

Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Eric S. Haag is an evolutionary developmental biologist. He is professor of Biology and director of the Biological Sciences Graduate Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has conducted research on the evolution of sex and reproduction in animals such as sea urchins, roundworms, and hermaphroditic fish for three decades.

Rachel Singpurwalla is an Associate Professor of Philosophy. Her area of specialization is ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. She is currently working on Plato's ethics and politics in the Republic, Statesman, and Laws. She focuses on the notions of friendship, virtue, beauty, and happiness and the relations among these. She is also interested in ancient Greek and Roman moral psychology, particularly the distinction between rational and non-rational motivation, and the nature of the emotions.