On the Origin of Sex by Lixing Sun

‘A thrilling biological detective story. Brilliant told and relentlessly entertaining’ CHARLES FOSTERExplore the spectacular science of reproduction – from frogs and funghi to seahorses, sparrows and everything in betweenLet’s talk about sex. Not boring, human sex, but the endlessly fascinating, varied and complex forms of reproduction that can be found in the rest of the natural world.Whiptail lizards and California condors are capable of immaculate conception, while strawberries are reproductive flip-floppers. Clownfish can permanently change sex, while bearded dragons undergo temperature-dependent sex reversal. For the humble slime mould, sex can involve hundreds of mating types – a veritable bonanza.Lixing Sun has spent decades expanding the bounds of what we know about reproduction, in all its many flavours. And as it turns out, sex is far more complex and eye-opening than we ever could have imagined.

Explore the spectacular science of reproduction – from frogs and funghi to seahorses, sparrows and everything in between

About the Author: Dr Lixing Sun first studied at East China Normal University in Shanghai before completing a PhD in ecology, behaviour and evolution at the State University of New York and Syracuse University. He is a Distinguished Research Professor at Ventral Washington University, the author of three academic books and a Harvard Radcliffe Fellow

05 Mar 2026
 

On the Origin of Sex: The Weird and Wonderful Science of How Our Planet is Populated by Lixing Sun ISBN 9781805223283