Chapters 14-15 Summary

Mary Roach begins the chapter by stating, “Homo sapiens is one of the few species on earth that care if they’re seen having sex.” Roach brings up this idea because she is at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. Accompanied by primate researcher Kim Wallen, she is observing the mating rituals of rhesus monkeys. The subject is Page, a young female who is looking to mate. Although she is timid at first, determination leads her to seek the alpha male, Keystone. Page tries several tactics to capture Keystone’s attention and ultimately succeeds. Roach describes this interaction as hormones at play. This strong sexual desire seen in rhesus monkeys also occurs in humans.

Hormones can make us do crazy and sometimes unexplainable things. For women, there is a simple solution that will balance hormone levels. Birth control lowers a woman’s libido while taking the Pill; however, libido may remain low even when the Pill is no longer taken. In addition to hormones, sex pheromones are thought to affect how humans and animals act. These pheromones are scents that trigger responses within the brain. Some examples include: cucumber, Good ‘n’ Plenty candy, sweat, and urine. The reactions vary depending on the person, but studies suggest that pheromones do work. A combination of hormones and pheromones could lead to mating, but what makes great sex?

Throughout most of her book, Roach rarely mentions homosexuals. She must have realized this, and thus the fifteenth chapter was born. Masters and Johnson, who were regular references in Bonk, make one final appearance. Their lab studies show that the best sex occurs between gay and lesbian couples. Masters attributes this to a phenomenon known as “gender empathy.” This secret to great sex happens when people take their time in foreplay. Teasing one’s partner to a great extent before sex has the capability of turning both people on. Homosexuals excel at this. Roach simplifies gender empathy into a single statement: “Doing unto your partner as you would do unto yourself only works when you’re gay.” The topic of homosexuality deserves its own chapter and not a few brief pages at the end of the book. However, this last minute information shows how thorough Roach is in her research and how dedicated she is to the topic of sex.

Chapters 12-13 Quizzer

1. Name the five drugs that women can take to relieve arousal problems. Why are they prescribed?

Viagra is prescribed to women even though it has only been approved for men. Doctors prescribe it to women because there are few options. Another drug offered to women is Ritalin. This works by helping the woman stay focused on sex. Marijuana could also be an option for women. This illegal drug has been known to enrich the sexual experience. However, there are no studies to support this. Bremelanotide (“the Barbie drug”) started as a sunless tanning agent, but it was discovered that the drug also increased sex drive. Perhaps the most promising drug is flibanserin. It is an antidepressant that increases libido and is currently being evaluated by the FDA.

2. When watching pornography, what are the biggest differences between how men and women respond?

Men are choosier when it comes to porn. They only become aroused by images of their sexual orientation and interests. Women, however, respond to all sorts of porn. They are physically aroused by males, females, gay couples, strait couples, and sometimes animals. The only gay image that seems to arouse strait men is the sight of two women having sex.

3. Why would Egypt be a difficult place for Ahmed Shafik to conduct sexual research?

In Egypt, the topic of sex and science hardly ever mix. Ahmed Shafik has managed to become a successful anomaly. Without access to cadavers, Shafik uses prostitutes instead. He has brought in technology for his studies that Egypt otherwise would not have. The culture is so sheepish about sex that even the word “sex” is scandalous to say on television. Nevertheless, Shafik has been able to excel in his sexual studies operated out of Cairo, Egypt.

4. Masters and Johnson discovered “spectatoring.” Describe what this is and how it affects people.

Spectatoring is when an individual observes and critiques oneself during sex. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, spectators tend to dwell on how they look or how they are performing. Women who do this tend to have less consistent orgasms and will commonly fake them.

Chapters 10-11 Graphical Organizer Description

There are many ways people achieve orgasm. People with spinal cord injuries are still able to feel an orgasm despite their nervous system damage. Studies have shown that autonomic nerves are responsible for sensations and remain intact even when nerve damage is present. In the absence of sexual intercourse, many individuals resort to masturbation. Sex toys such as artificial vaginas and vibrators are common masturbatory instruments. People have also found other ways of achieving orgasm. There are women who can think themselves to orgasm and individuals who orgasm simply by pulling their own body weight up a rope (as in gym class). Orgasm is an important part of life. People have found many ways of obtaining an orgasm. Even the human body has developed its own ways of keeping this bodily pleasure working.

Chapters 8-9 Vocabulary

1. Saline: (noun) a salty solution (pg. 178)

2. Caftan: (noun) a long garment having long sleeves and tied at the waist by a girdle, worn under a coat in the Middle East (pg. 180)

3. Collagen: (noun) The fibrous protein constituent of bone, cartilage, tendon, and other connective tissue (pg. 184)

4. Errant: (adj) Wandering outside the established limits (pg. 186)

5. Eunuch: (noun) A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed (pg. 187)

6. Incontinence: (noun) involuntary urination or defecation (pg. 188)

7. Voyeuristic: (adj) deriving sexual gratification from observing the naked bodies or sexual acts of others, especially from a secret vantage point (pg. 194)

8. Umbrage: (noun) Offense; resentment (pg. 197)

9. Priapism: (noun) continuous, usually nonsexual erection of the penis (pg. 199)

10. Vestigial: (adj) Relating to a body part that has become small and lost its use because of evolutionary change (pg. 199)

Chapters 6-7 Summarizer

Chapter Six is all about impotence and various cures people have developed. A large portion of the chapter is devoted to the work of Dr. Geng-Long Hsu, a Taiwanese urological surgeon. When impotent men try Viagra will little success, they come to Dr. Hsu to receive a permanent solution. Hsu uses a rare technique that involves removing veins from the penis. The surgical procedure has worked on over 90 percent of men. Hsu takes great pride in his work. The reason this procedure works has to do with how penis functions. When a man is sexually aroused, arteries bring blood into the penis. After orgasm or an extended period of time, veins bring the blood out of the penis. When Hsu removes some of these veins, blood cannot exit the penis as quickly, and, as a result, the man can have an erection for a longer period of time. Besides scheduling a visit with Dr. Hsu, men have many more options to cure their impotence.

There are many ways to approach impotence. Surgeons can remove veins or install a malleable penile implant. An individual can use a cock-ring to restrict blood flow or purchase a vacuum pump. But perhaps the most popular cure for impotence was introduced by Pfizer in 1998. Since then, Viagra has become a household name. Men with erectile dysfunction (ED) could now find comfort in a simple little pill. The process is not as simple elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Zhuang Zhuang, a male panda, was given Viagra in 2002, and no results were observed. It is believed that male pandas suffer from extreme erectile dysfunction. Viagra can solve a man’s impotence, but is there a procedure that could cure senility?

According to Skevos Zervos and G. Frank Lydston, implanting younger testicular tissue into an older man can cure high blood pressure, senility, and arteriosclerosis. Some men even experienced an increase in “sexual power” and “vigorous and prolonged erections.” In China, men are told to ingest tiger penis with wine or brandy if they are suffering from performance issues. As a last resort of increasing confidence, a man can order a Neuticle, prosthetic testicles. Originally made for dogs, these fake testicles are implanted into the recipient by a plastic surgeon and come in various sizes. Men can now become as large as they want to.

Chapters 4-5 Quizzer

1. It is no secret that sometimes farmers engage in sexual acts with their animals. Given the scenario of a male farmer and a female pig having intercourse, what would the sow experience differently with a man than she would with a male pig? What part of her experience would be similar?

The farmer and male pig have their own ways of engaging in sex. It takes longer for a pig to ejaculate (5 to 15 minutes) than it does for a man (1 to 5 minutes), and the pig’s ejaculate is about 70 times larger in volume than a man’s. A pig’s penis is curled (like its tail) while a man’s penis has only a slight curve. The biggest similarity between the two is their unusual habit of fondling breasts.

2. Do you believe that a female orgasm helps boost fertility rates? Why or why not?

I believe that there are some benefits orgasm has on fertility. Physician Joseph Beck conducted a study where he stimulated a highly sensitive female to the point of orgasm and watched the cervix at that very moment. Beck explains that the cervix made “five or six successive gasps.” The smooth muscle contractions and complexity of the female organ need further research. Humans were made to reproduce efficiently, and if orgasm does not help the chances of reproduction, why would it still be an occurrence within the body?

3. How has the human male’s anatomy evolved to deal with competition from other males?

The penis is designed to scoop out other men’s ejaculate from a woman’s vagina. In a study conducted by the State University of New York at Albany, it was found that 91 percent of competitor semen was scooped out of the vagina when a penis was inserted. A man’s ejaculate also contains spermicide, which is designed to kill other men’s sperm. Men are capable of waging chemical warfare in order to reproduce.

4. Do you think it would be easier to research sex in Leonardo Da Vinci’s time period or in the present? Why?

I think it would be easier to be a sex researcher in the present day. Sex research has always been an underground occurrence, but there is a larger underground society today. With sex toy shops and an increase in sexual education common today, sex research is not as far-fetched as it used to be. Also, studies in sex have come a long way since Da Vinci. Instead of cadavers, researchers now have willing volunteers to observe.

Chapters 2-3 Graphical Organizer Description

Ever since Masters and Johnson first brought up the idea, researchers have been trying to determine whether the vaginal orgasm exists. As it turns out, the vaginal orgasm does exist, and there are many different views on how it occurs and what can help it occur quicker. Stimulating the “G-spot” in a woman’s vagina helps her reach orgasm sooner. Also, if a woman is an active “Kegeler,” she increases her chances of obtaining a vaginal orgasm. Unfortunately, some women are unable to have vaginal orgasm, due to their vaginal-clitoral gap. These secondary themes and supporting evidence show that vaginal orgasms do exist, and there are ways of making them easier to achieve.

Foreplay and Chapter 1 Vocabulary

1. Bigotry: (n) stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. [pg. 12]

2. Serially: (adv) in a series, or regular order. [pg. 15]

3. Wanton: (adj) done maliciously or unjustifiably; uncalled-for. [pg. 16]

4. Vaginismus: (n) painful spasmodic contraction of the vagina. [pg. 17]

5. Amorous: (adj) Indicative of love or sexual desire. [pg. 22]

6. Demerit: (n) a mark made against one's record for a fault or for misconduct. [pg. 22]

7. Iconoclastic: (adj) characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions. [pg. 24]

8. Staid: (adj) characterized by dignity and propriety; serious. [pg. 29]

9. Idiosyncratic: (adj) peculiar temper or disposition; belonging to one's peculiar and individual character. [pg. 33]

10. Sadomasochistic: (adj) relating to the deriving of pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting or submitting to physical or emotional abuse. [pg. 39]

What Happens When You Watch "Alone?" Alone?

“For every grain of sand on our entire planet, there are a million stars out there in space…and where there are stars there may be planets, and where there are planets there may be life.” This statement by Sam Neill appears in the kL3z.com video Alone?. The creator of Alone? gives insight into the topic of celestial beings in a unique way. Alone? is a combination of videos, images, sound clips, and orchestral music that puts the viewer in a state of wonder. It begs the question: are we alone?

I chose to watch Alone? because it seemed less intrusive than the other videos on the website. Under each title is a brief explanation of what the video is about. Most of the videos give simple descriptions such as “Relaxation Video” and “Shocking Footage of Reality.” Alone? is one of the only videos described by a question. In this case the question is “Are We?” I feel as if this approach invites me to add my own input, whereas the other videos tell you what to think. For this reason, I paid more attention to Alone? than I did with Vicarious or Between Worlds.

Alone? had a calming effect on me as I watched it. Glistening images of space slowly drifted across the screen. These photos were occasionally interrupted by video clips. The first video grew progressively faster. Footage of animals in action blipped across the screen just long enough for me to grasp what I was watching. In the background was commentary from a peaceful voice that distinctly sounds as if it belongs to Liam Neeson. Then the video cuts to an image of the moon and fades out to reveal the gigantic Earth. There are many abstract photos of space that pan and zoom across the screen similar to a Ken Burns documentary. But while Ken Burns puts me to sleep in less than five minutes (a feat not easily achieved), Alone? puts me into a state of relaxation. There are very few spoken words. Occasionally a question or a related quotation from an American astrophysicist will pop up on screen. All of this was fine, and I get that these side notes add some depth to the piece, but these written words did little for the effect. The aspect that had the biggest influence on me was the music.

Meditation often involves some variation of auditory response. The person needs to focus on the repetition of a phrase or sound to help calm his/her thoughts. Negative stimuli are eliminated and the mind is cleared. Once relaxed, the individual then enters an altered state of mind that is said to have healing capabilities. Alone? was a form of meditation for me to some extent. There were no harsh images or sounds, which was a nice change from some of the other videos on the website. Orchestral music played over most of the piece. It was fanciful and robust at the same time. My favorite portion is when the string instruments add their style to the melody. The song sounds as if it belongs to a movie or something greater than a short online video about space. Without the song to guide the piece, I would have grown bored within the first few minutes. It drew me in and kept me focused on the glorious images that flashed across my computer screen. As I watched the video, my mind forgot about every non-celestial thought, which could be considered meditation. The music, the images, the text, and the videos combine in less than seven minutes to create this desired effect. Hats off to the creator.