So where were the males? Embarrassingly, Darwin had nearly thrown them away. He’d been finding little tick-like things attached to Ms. Arthrobalanus—parasites,

So where were the males? Embarrassingly, Darwin had nearly thrown them away. He’d been finding little tick-like things attached to Ms. Arthrobalanus—parasites, he assumed. So he picked them off. In reality, these “ticks” were the menfolk. They were ten times smaller than the females and consisted of nothing but sacs of sperms. All other body parts on the males, such as stomachs and heads, had been whittled away by evolution. How can demands for equality between the sexes in general be justified when gross inequalities can be such useful fitness strategies? If our species were made more fit by men evolving into small sacks that women attach to themselves like jewelry, then that practice would be both unequal and ethical.