On the Origin of Sex

A NEW SCIENTIST BOOK PICK FOR 2026

'Fascinating ... this book will make you rethink what you thought you knew about sex' CAT BOHANNON

'A thrilling biological detective story. Brilliant told and relentlessly entertaining' CHARLES FOSTER

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

Let'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.