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A pair of zebra finches in a cage
Animal Divorce: When and Why Pairs Break Up
Many species of birds and other vertebrates form pair bonds and mate with just one other individual for much of their lives. But the unions don’t always work out. Scientists want to know the underlying factors.
Animal Divorce: When and Why Pairs Break Up
Animal Divorce: When and Why Pairs Break Up

Many species of birds and other vertebrates form pair bonds and mate with just one other individual for much of their lives. But the unions don’t always work out. Scientists want to know the underlying factors.

Many species of birds and other vertebrates form pair bonds and mate with just one other individual for much of their lives. But the unions don’t always work out. Scientists want to know the underlying factors.

sexual selection, evolution

Infographic showing genetic and social monogamy in birds
Infographic: A New Look at Monogamy Across the Animal Kingdom
Catherine Offord | Jun 1, 2022 | 2 min read
Advances in genetics in recent years has revealed that many apparently exclusive pairs in fact sometimes mate with individuals other than their partner, but social monogamy is widespread.
A headshot of Matthew Gage
Evolutionary Ecologist Matthew Gage Dies at 55
Amanda Heidt | Apr 20, 2022 | 3 min read
The University of East Anglia researcher was best known for his contributions to the study of sexual selection, particularly post-copulatory sperm competition.
Image of the Day: Plumage Patterns
Amy Schleunes | Mar 23, 2020 | 1 min read
An island songbird evolved into five populations of different color variants despite inhabiting territories just 10 kilometers apart.
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.
Image of the Day: Beetle Fight
Jef Akst | Dec 3, 2018 | 1 min read
The exaggerated horns and elongated forelegs of male flower beetles, which use these appendages as weapons in combat for females, do not slow down the insects in a race.
Image of the Day: Size Matters
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Feb 23, 2018 | 1 min read
The male proboscis monkey’s large nose probably evolved in response to female preference and competition between males.
Connecting the Dots
Anna Azvolinsky | Aug 1, 2014 | 8 min read
Extending her initial studies of social wasps, Mary Jane West-Eberhard has spent her career probing the evolutionary relationship between social behavior and developmental flexibility.
Carnal Knowledge
Bob Grant | Jul 1, 2014 | 3 min read
Sex is an inherently fascinating aspect of life. As researchers learn more and more about it, surprises regularly emerge.
Faces for Fighting?
Jef Akst | Jun 10, 2014 | 2 min read
Scientists propose that hominin facial bones evolved for protection against the powerful blows of combat.
For Some Male Crickets, Silence Means Survival
Sandhya Sekar | May 29, 2014 | 3 min read
Two island populations of male crickets independently evolved to evade parasites by keeping quiet, and have come up with a way to sneak matings with females that still seek the male courtship song.
Standing Up for Sex
Henry Gee | Dec 1, 2013 | 3 min read
Humans evolved the ability to walk on two legs because it allowed them to more accurately size up prospective mates. Or did they?
Book Excerpt from The Accidental Species
Henry Gee | Nov 30, 2013 | 3 min read
In Chapter 7, “The Way We Walk,” author Henry Gee describes the first steps taken by the ancestors of Homo sapiens.
Are Humans Still Evolving?
Sabrina Richards | Apr 30, 2012 | 3 min read
Research on an 18th and 19th century Finnish population suggests that agriculture and monogamy may not have stopped human evolution.
Behavior Brief
Jef Akst | Oct 17, 2011 | 5 min read
A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research
Behavior Brief
Rachel Nuwer | Sep 21, 2011 | 4 min read
A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research
Appealing Choice
Erika Lorraine Milam | Jan 1, 2011 | 3 min read
A book is born from pondering why sexual selection was, for so long, a minor component of evolutionary biology.
Eau de Choice
Richard P. Grant | Jan 1, 2011 | 3 min read
Evolutionary biologist Jane Hurst at the University of Liverpool has found that male mice have evolved a cunning trick to distinguish themselves within the dating pool: they produce a specific protein that drives female attraction to male scent, and this molecule, called darcin, helps females remember a specific male's odor.
Book Excerpt from Looking for a Few Good Males
Erika Lorraine Milam | Dec 31, 2010 | 10+ min read
In Chapter 2, "Progressive Desire," author Erika Lorraine Milam explores sexual selection’s incursion into evolutionary theory.
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