Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl

Bruce Bagemihl’s Biological Exuberance, first published in 1999, explored the wild diversity of sexual behaviour in nature. Joan Roughgarden’s Evolution’s Rainbow (University of California Press, £11.95) extends that picture of diversity by examining its evolutionary aspects and its social and cultural implications, from cell to society. Its subtitle gives an idea of her range: “Diversity, gender, and sexuality in nature and people”.