An invisible but omnipresent male standard
From medical tests to research protocols, the male body was, for decades, the default model of scientific studies. “A systemic injustice,” says Cat Bohannon. The absence of taking into account female specificities has direct consequences: less effective medical treatments for women, symptoms of underdiagnosed cardiac diseases, a gaping understanding of the hormonal cycle and its impact on health.
The researcher thus reminds us of disturbing facts: until the 1990s, more than three -quarters of pain in pain were carried out only on male subjects. And to write “we give men and women the same doses of antidepressants when we know very well that reactions differ depending on sex”.
A rigorous and educational work
Cat Bohannon is an American researcher and author holding a doctorate from Columbia University, where she specialized in the study of the evolution of narration and cognitive mechanisms. If it has no formal training in biology, it is based on a vast scientific documentation and abundantly cites scientists whose work it relates. His talent lies in his ability to articulate this complex knowledge with great narrative finesse. Eve is thus distinguished by a fluid writing, narrative and a architecture both complex and accessible : Several stories intertwine to better illuminate an impressive sum of scientific research.
Another way to tell the evolution
Beyond the medical observation, Eve offers a rewriting of the history of evolution, by replacing the female body at the center of the story. The author invites us to look at these female ancestors that are too often ignored: Morganucodonfirst mammal to produce milk – a kind of cross between the belet and the mouse – Ardipithecus ramidusfirst known biped hommi, or Homo Habiliswhich was probably also a skilful user of tools.
Far from the vision of an evolution centered on the triumphant male hunter, Cat Bohannon shows that the cooperation and the transmission of knowledge played a crucial role in the development of our species. Evolution, which is not a linear and strictly adaptive process, is marked by female biological specificities that have shaped our species.
A committed reading, but not a manifesto
If Eve Force forcefully denounces scientific inequalities, Cat Bohannon takes care not to reduce his work to a militant pamphlet. With a mixture of humor, scientific rigor and passion for natural history, it popularizes concepts, without falling into excess of academism.
The book, immense success in the United States, aroused great interest from the public and specialists. He challenges women as much, who discover a part unknown to their own biological history, as men, also called to become aware of these major issues for science and medicine.
An invitation to reinvent science
How to fill this historical delay taken by science? Cat Bohannon pleads for a paradigm shift in research. This involves better inclusion of women in study protocols, increased funding for specific research and questioning the “male standard”. In a society where science is still perceived as neutral and objective, Eve highlights the urgency to rebalance our gaze on the living. And to trace “what we finally begin to understand about the body of women and on the influence of this deep story on our life. A real humanist mission which is still only in its beginnings.
Eve: 200 million years of female evolution, Flammarion, 320p, 25 €
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
