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The face of a young woman and the face of an old man surrounded by mechanical clocks.
Daily Gene Expression Rhythms Vary with Sex and Age: Study
By studying tissues from deceased people, a team found that women have more rhythmical gene expression and that this molecular rhythmicity decreases with age.
Daily Gene Expression Rhythms Vary with Sex and Age: Study
Daily Gene Expression Rhythms Vary with Sex and Age: Study

By studying tissues from deceased people, a team found that women have more rhythmical gene expression and that this molecular rhythmicity decreases with age.

By studying tissues from deceased people, a team found that women have more rhythmical gene expression and that this molecular rhythmicity decreases with age.

sex

A grayscale tomography image of snake tissue
Snakes Have Clitorises After All, Study Finds
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Dec 13, 2022 | 4 min read
Researchers visualize the snake clitoris in detail for the first time, finding evidence that the organ may be evolutionarily important for snake sex.
blue-gloved hands injecting mouse with syringe
Sex of Researcher Influences Ketamine’s Effects in Mice: Study
Shawna Williams | Sep 8, 2022 | 3 min read
The findings likely have implications for animal research far beyond the study of antidepressants.
multiple generations of family members eating at outdoor table
Sun Exposure Triggers Hunger in Men but Not Women, Study Suggests
Shafaq Zia | Jul 12, 2022 | 4 min read
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.
illustration of purple mitochondrion within a cell
Rogue Mitochondria Turn Hermaphroditic Snails Female: Study
Patience Asanga | May 19, 2022 | 3 min read
The accidental finding marks the first time a phenomenon called cytoplasmic sterility, known to occur in plants, has been found in animals.
Two bonobos facing each other on a tree branch
Q&A: In Battle of the Sexes, Dominance Doesn’t Always Equal Power
Raegan Scharfetter | May 18, 2022 | 6 min read
The Scientist spoke to hyena researcher Eve Davidian for a broad look at power relationships between male and female mammals.
mixing blue and pink smoke, symbolic of the muddled boundaries between sexes
Opinion: Biological Science Rejects the Sex Binary, and That’s Good for Humanity
Agustín Fuentes | May 12, 2022 | 5 min read
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.
Reddish shelf fungi on a log
This Fungus Has More Than 17,000 Sexes
James M. Gaines | Apr 20, 2022 | 4 min read
Advances in sequencing technologies have finally allowed researchers to zero in on the genetic diversity underlying the incredible mating system of shelf fungi.
a microscope image of a rotifer
Bacterial Enzyme Keeps Rotifers’ Transposable Elements in Check
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Mar 3, 2022 | 5 min read
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.
illustration of people of different genders and races
Does Biological Sex Influence COVID-19 Outcomes?
Annie Melchor | Nov 2, 2021 | 10 min read
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.
Rhino upside down, in the sky
2021 Ig Nobel Prizes Honor Decongestant Orgasms, Rhino Transport
Lisa Winter | Sep 14, 2021 | 2 min read
A full beard can absorb nearly 40 percent of the shock from a punch to the face, according to one winning study.
A grayscale electron micrograph shows hundreds of sperm cells stuck together in the foreground
Antibodies Stop Sperm in Their Tracks
Abby Olena, PhD | Aug 11, 2021 | 3 min read
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 pair of Northern Cardinals perched on a tree branch
Females Gain Ground as Biomedical Research Subjects
Shawna Williams | Jun 9, 2020 | 2 min read
A study finds improvement in the proportion of scientific projects that include both sexes, but analyzing results by sex is not routine.
fruit fly drosophila melanogaster sperm sex peptide memory reproduction
Sex Promotes Lasting Memories in Female Flies
Ruth Williams | Nov 20, 2019 | 3 min read
A protein present in the ejaculate of male fruit flies activates long-term memory formation in the brains of their female partners.
same sex sexual behavior homosexual heterosexual genetics gwas
Giant Study Helps Clarify Role of Genes in Same-Sex Sex
Emma Yasinski | Aug 29, 2019 | 3 min read
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 spider courtship
Image of the Day: Spider Sex
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 26, 2019 | 2 min read
Funnel-web spiders change the timing of their distinct courtship behavior depending on what microbes they’re carrying.
sperm mouse sex selection ivf in vitro fertilization x y chromosome
Researchers Develop New Method for Sexing Sperm
Katarina Zimmer | Aug 13, 2019 | 4 min read
Scientists found they could sort mouse sperm prior to IVF by treating semen with a drug that selectively slows down X-bearing cells.
chinese pond turtle embryo temperature-dependent sex climate change
Turtle Embryos May Have a Say in Deciding Their Sex
Katarina Zimmer | Aug 1, 2019 | 4 min read
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.
chimpanzee testes
Why Chimpanzees Have Big Testes, and Mandrills Have Small Ones
Katarina Zimmer | Apr 16, 2019 | 4 min read
For primates, males’ fancier ornaments are linked with smaller testes, according to a new comparative study.
Larger Hermit Crab Penises May Prevent Shell Theft
Abby Olena, PhD | Jan 16, 2019 | 4 min read
Members of species with shells they must hold onto for survival have larger sexual tubes than those with less precious private property.
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