sex

Researchers visualize the snake clitoris in detail for the first time, finding evidence that the organ may be evolutionarily important for snake sex.

The findings likely have implications for animal research far beyond the study of antidepressants.

Ultraviolet radiation leads to secretion of an appetite-boosting hormone in male mice, but experts say it’s not yet clear whether the mechanism applies to humans.

The accidental finding marks the first time a phenomenon called cytoplasmic sterility, known to occur in plants, has been found in animals.

The Scientist spoke to hyena researcher Eve Davidian for a broad look at power relationships between male and female mammals.

Evidence from various sciences reveals that there are diverse ways of being male, female, or both. An anthropologist argues that embracing these truths will help humans flourish.

Advances in sequencing technologies have finally allowed researchers to zero in on the genetic diversity underlying the incredible mating system of shelf fungi.

Jumping genes in bdelloid rotifers are tamped down by DNA methylation performed by an enzyme pilfered from bacteria roughly 60 million years ago, a study finds.

It’s unclear whether differing odds of dying between men and women reflect inherent differences between male and female immune systems or differences rooted in gender norms.

A full beard can absorb nearly 40 percent of the shock from a punch to the face, according to one winning study.

Engineered antibodies trap and immobilize human sperm in the reproductive tract of female sheep, paving the way for possible use as a nonhormonal contraceptive in people.

A study finds improvement in the proportion of scientific projects that include both sexes, but analyzing results by sex is not routine.

A protein present in the ejaculate of male fruit flies activates long-term memory formation in the brains of their female partners.

The largest study of its kind to date estimates that genetics accounts for at most 8–25 percent of variation in whether or not a person reports engaging in non-heterosexual behaviors.

Funnel-web spiders change the timing of their distinct courtship behavior depending on what microbes they’re carrying.

Scientists found they could sort mouse sperm prior to IVF by treating semen with a drug that selectively slows down X-bearing cells.

In a species of freshwater turtle, embryos can move toward warmer or cooler environments within the egg and thus help choose their sexual destiny, but not all experts are convinced.

For primates, males’ fancier ornaments are linked with smaller testes, according to a new comparative study.

Members of species with shells they must hold onto for survival have larger sexual tubes than those with less precious private property.