The Evolutionary Origin of Female Orgasm

The Journal of Experimental Zoology has published a paper by Yale EEB Professor Gunter Wagner on the evolutionary origin of the female orgasm.  He and co-author, Mihaela Pavlicev, an evolutionary biologist at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have suggested that the female orgasm-like trait may have been adaptive, however for a different role, namely for inducing ovulation. With the evolution of spontaneous ovulation, orgasm was freed to gain secondary roles, which may explain its maintenance, but not its origin.  The New York Times has an article on the research by Carl Zimmer and Science Magazine also has picked up on the news.