The Other Big Bang

Name: The Other Big Bang
Price: 42.95 AUD
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ISBN: 9780231224154

The Story of Sex and Its Human Legacy

Eric S. Haag

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Paperback

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English

Columbia University Press
26 March 2026

Evolution; Developmental biology

Winner, 2025 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

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 The Other Big Bang, 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. Witty and inviting, The Other Big Bang offers a clear view of the evolutionary roots of human sexuality and their significance today.

By: Eric S. Haag
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780231224154
ISBN 10: 023122415X
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 26 March 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Eric S. Haag is professor of biology and director of the Biological Sciences Graduate Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. For three decades, he has conducted research on the evolution of sex and reproduction in animals such as sea urchins, roundworms, and hermaphroditic fish.

Reviews for The Other Big Bang: The Story of Sex and Its Human Legacy

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 In The Other Big Bang, Eric Haag explores one of life’s most basic features. In discussions at once accessible and deeply informed by biology, Haag illuminates not only the origins of sex and its role in promoting biological diversity but also the many ways in which it has shaped our own bodies and behavior. His chapters on sexism, sexual aggression, and sexual orientation are both firmly grounded in science and compassionate—required reading for thoughtful citizens. -- Andrew H. Knoll, author of A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters The Other Big Bang offers a grand perspective on evolutionary and human history, from the origins of life on Earth to the emergent complexities of human sexuality. -- Simon LeVay, author of Attraction, Love, Sex: The Inside Story In this stimulating debut inquiry, [Eric S. Haag]... investigates the natural history of sex. Haag’s illuminating analogies will help lay readers parse the jargon, as when he explains the evolutionary benefits of primitive bacterial sex by comparing it to stripping two junk cars of their best parts to construct one functional vehicle. This fascinates. * Publishers Weekly * This engaging book recounts the history of sexual reproduction. Given the pervasiveness of sex, gender, and sexual conflict cross-culturally, Haag takes a step back and asks, ‘Why do we have sexes (and sex) at all?’ Excellent discussion material. Highly recommended. * Choice Reviews *