S=EX² (eBook)

Pere Estupinyà is a trained chemist and biochemist and a science communicator by vocation who, after a short time as a PhD researcher, switched to science journalism. After serving as the editor of a leading Spanish television program on science, he is currently the director and presenter of a new show on Spanish public television named after his book “The Brain Snatcher.”   Pere Estupinyà has lectured on Science, Technology and Society at the Ramon Llull University in Barcelona and spent an academic year at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow. He has been a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the Organization Of American States (OAS) on topics concerning the improvement of science communications in Latin America. His remarkably transparent and clever writing led him to write about science in the main Spanish newspapers. In November 2010 Pere Estupinyà published his first book on science for the general public: “El Ladrón de cerebros” (The Brain Snatcher), which is now in its 5th reprinting. In summer 2011 he released the eBook “Rascar donde no pica” (To Scratch Where It Doesn’t Itch), and in 2013 he published the Spanish and Catalan editions of S=EX2. In 2016, Pere Estupinyà published his most recent book “Comer cerezas con los ojos a ciegas” (Eating Cherries with Blind Eyes). Pere Estupinyà lives in Washington, DC and Barcelona, and defines himself as a scientific omnivore who writes about science as an excuse to learn more about, and enjoy, its wonders.

INTRODUCTION1. SEX IN OUR CELLSLooking for the hormones of desireFew differences between males and femalesThe chemistry of our sexual behavior2. SEX IN OUR GENITALIASympathetic and parasympathetic nerves related to sexual arousalThe erection of the penis and the clitorisFailure to perform or premature ejaculation due to stressDesire and arousal are not the same thingThe orgasm depending on the distance between the clitoris and the vagina3. SEX IN OUR BRAINScience is more interesting than sexMy orgasm under the fMRILike-Want-Learn and the empire of the senses4. SEX IN OUR MINDSSex is an irrational actMeasuring sexual arousal at Kingsley InstituteThe non-agreement between mind and female genitaliaSurveys and statistics about sexualityA brief history of scientific research on sex5. SEX IN OUR BEDScientists have trouble to find the G-spotThe two kinds of feminine ejaculationThe genetic component of the feminine multi-orgasmI was multi-orgasmic and I didn’t know about itThe coolidge effect and my jealousy towards men without a refractory periodMasturbation and its disadvantages with respect to intercourseVibrators, lubricants and aphrodisiacs to increase sexual pleasureThe treacherous effect of alcohol on arousal and orgasmsMotivations for anal sexThe size of the penis does matter, the size of the clitoris, doesn’t6. SEX AT THE DOCTOR’S OFFICEExpectations and other masculine sexual dysfunctionsFeminine concerns: the key is not desire but satisfactionMicroorganisms that cohabit or invade our genitaliaSexually Transmitted Diseases7. SEX IN NATUREWhy do ducks have a penis but roosters don´t?The origin of sex in bacteria, amebas and marine spongesHermaphrodite potatoes and animal sex changeSexual dimorphism: we’ve only eaten female monkfish8. SEX IN EVOLUTIONThe ovulation trap hidden inside of womenMonogamy is natural, fidelity isn’tBonobo’s way of life: are you a bonobo or a chimpanzee?9. SEX IN BARSOur partner’s beauty depends on our ownThe power of the subconscious in physical attractionInternet has only changed the first steps of the dating processNon-verbal signs of seductionThe magic of a kissMeaningless sex and the hookup culture10. TO HAVE AN ORGASM WITH THE POWER OF THE MINDHyperventilation to activate the sympathetic systemMeditation and yoga increase sexual pleasure11. PORNOGRAPHY: FROM DISTORTION TO EDUCATIONWomen prefer to watch lesbian porn rather than gay pornPorn can aggravate some problems, but it can’t create new ones12. MY HEAD HURTS, HONEY, LET’S HAVE SEX TONIGHTSexus sanus in corpore sanoCorpus sanum in sexu sanoSex in the third age13. SEX FOR PLEASURE AND LOVE ON A WHEELCHAIRNeurosurgery to recover genital sensitivity14. SCIENCE AND SEX ORIENTATIONHomosexual fluidity: behavior is not orientationYes, one can be born gayHomophobia is pernicious, homosexuality isn’tDoes masculine bisexuality exist?Learning from asexual people15. WIDENING HORIZONS AT S&M CLUBSWhen pain causes pleasure and soothes other kinds of painFetishists from head to toeSexual fantasies: to inhibit sinful thoughts increases verbal and action sins16. OBSESSION, IMPULSIVITY, LACK OF AUTOCONTROL AND OTHER DISORDERSHipersexuality is not an addictionParaphilias: when medical articles go beyond fictionInvoluntary orgasms during rape17. SEXUAL IDENTITES BEYON XX AND XYIntersexuality: when chromosomes and genitalia don’t agreeTransexuality: when the mind is in controlSex reassignment surgery and the real ghost limb18. SOCIAL AND SEXUAL MONOGAMY GET ALONG AT SWINGERS CLUBSPolyamory and emotional monogamistsCouple conflicts when sexual desire disappearsGenes don’t justify infidelityAddicted to loveEPILOGUE: SEX AND SCIENCE DON’T END AT THE ORGASMAKNOWLEDGEMENTSBIBLIOPGRAPHY