I'd read "Stiff" by Mary Roach more than a decade ago. Accidentally got it at a library thinking it was a murder mystery. It's great non-fiction.

Looking for her new book at my current local public library's online offerings, the only thing available by her was the audio book version of "Stiff". And it's wonderful.

https://www.maryroach.net/stiff.html

#MaryRoach #q_science #Science

"Mary Roach: 10 things you didn't know about orgasm" - superb and funny video (some of my favourite bits are quoted below)

https://www.ted.com/talks/mary_roach_10_things_you_didn_t_know_about_orgasm/transcript

"But also, Kinsey interviewed a woman who could be brought to orgasm by having someone stroke her eyebrow."
...
"I think the most curious one that I came across was a case report of a woman who had an orgasm every time she brushed her teeth. Something in the complex sensory-motor action of brushing her teeth was triggering orgasm. And she went to a neurologist, who was fascinated. He checked to see if it was something in the toothpaste, but no -- it happened with any brand. They stimulated her gums with a toothpick, to see if that was doing it. No. It was the whole, you know, motion. And the amazing thing to me is that you would think this woman would have excellent oral hygiene. Sadly -- this is what it said in the journal paper -- "She believed that she was possessed by demons and switched to mouthwash for her oral care." It's so sad."
...
"When I was working on the book, I interviewed a woman who can think herself to orgasm. She was part of a study at Rutgers University. You've got to love that. Rutgers. So I interviewed her in Oakland, in a sushi restaurant. And I said, "So, could you do it right here?" And she said, "Yeah, but you know I'd rather finish my meal if you don't mind." But afterwards, she was kind enough to demonstrate on a bench outside. It was remarkable. It took about one minute. And I said to her, "Are you just doing this all the time?" She said, "No. Honestly, when I get home, I'm usually too tired."
...
"According to 1930s marriage manual author, Theodoor van De Velde, a slight seminal odor can be detected on the breath of a woman within about an hour after sexual intercourse. Theodoor van De Velde was something of a semen connoisseur. This is a guy writing a book, "Ideal Marriage," you know. Very heavy hetero guy. But he wrote in this book, "Ideal Marriage" -- he said that he could differentiate between the semen of a young man, which he said had a fresh, exhilarating smell, and the semen of mature men, whose semen smelled, quote, "Remarkably like that of the flowers of the Spanish chestnut. Sometimes quite freshly floral, and then again sometimes extremely pungent."

#Sex #Orgasm #Semen #TED #MaryRoach #SexResearch