An evolutionary history of sex that reveals how two billion years of genetic ancestry―from the first aquatic creatures to primate societies―influences human sexuality today From the first exchange of DNA to Tinder and sexbots―how did sex evolve? How did sex begin? How did it evolve to be so varied and complex in humans? What influence do our genetic ancestors have on our love lives today? And what might sex look like in the future?

The Shortest History of Sex traces where all the facets of human sexuality came from, starting at the creation of sex approximately two billion years ago and chasing it down our evolutionary family tree―from dinosaurs to primates and the earliest humans―until we arrive at the present, revealing why humanity’s baffling array of passions, impulses, and fetishes are the way they are. From the basic chemical process of two microbes sharing DNA to the modern phenomena of online dating, author David Baker guides the reader toward a clear understanding of one of the deepest and most abiding forces of human nature.

The Shortest History of Sex looks at how sex changed for humans across the foraging, agrarian, and modern eras, and how we arrived at a period in history where the present nature of our sex lives has no historical or evolutionary precedent. Baker then looks at the horizon to figure out where current trends may lead us in the near future, as humans navigate the brave new world of technology. The result is a revealing and utterly unique insight into history and human behavior―and the dance between nature and nurture in society.