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Cover Story

The Sex Paradox
Megan Scudellari | Jul 1, 2014 | 10+ min read
Birds do it. Bees do it. We do it. But not without a physical, biochemical, and genetic price. How did the costly practice of sex become so commonplace?

Features

The Hidden Side of Sex
Patricia L.R. Brennan | Jul 1, 2014 | 10+ min read
Sexual selection doesn’t end when females choose a mate. Females and males of many animal species employ an array of tactics to stack the deck in their reproductive favor.
Sly Guys
The Scientist | Jul 1, 2014 | 10+ min read
Across the animal kingdom, dominance isn’t the only way for a male to score. Colluding, sneaking around, or cross-dressing can work, too.

Contributors

Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the July 2014 issue of The Scientist

Editorial

Carnal Knowledge
Carnal Knowledge
Carnal Knowledge
Sex is an inherently fascinating aspect of life. As researchers learn more and more about it, surprises regularly emerge.

Speaking of Science

Speaking of Sex
Speaking of Sex
Speaking of Sex
July 2014's selection of notable quotes

Freeze Frame

Spineless Sex
Spineless Sex
Spineless Sex
Not to be outdone by vertebrates, invertebrates employ a suite of interesting structures and behaviors to accomplish procreation.

Notebook

Sex and Drugs
Sex and Drugs
Sex and Drugs
Did 20th-century pharmaceutical and technological advances shape modern sexual behaviors?
The Love Bug
The Love Bug
The Love Bug
A mysterious iridovirus outbreak in a lab colony of crickets reveals the virus’s ability to spur increased sexual activity.
Accidental Orgasms
Accidental Orgasms
Accidental Orgasms
Meet the researcher struggling to gain approval for his medical device, which was originally designed to relieve back pain, but turned out to be an orgasm inducer.
A Rock and a Hard Place
A Rock and a Hard Place
A Rock and a Hard Place
Meet the retired chemical engineer who has made quite the impression on paleoentomology by uncovering ancient secrets of insect coitus.

Critic at Large

Going Beyond the Lab
Going Beyond the Lab
Going Beyond the Lab
Scientists who study the biological roots of sexual orientation should continue working with educators, policy-makers, and the public to put their data to good use.
To Study Unfettered
To Study Unfettered
To Study Unfettered
Researching the causes of sexual orientation should be guided by scientific, not social, concerns.

Modus Operandi

Laser-Guided Chastity
Laser-Guided Chastity
Laser-Guided Chastity
Scientists devise a precision-targeted system for training, tracking, and tweaking fruit fly social behavior.

The Literature

Semen Says
Semen Says
Semen Says
Scientists report for the first time that a snail’s seminal fluid proteins can suppress the mating success of the male side of its hermaphroditic partner.
Fatty Pheromones
Fatty Pheromones
Fatty Pheromones
A new class of pheromones, triacylglycerides, helps male fruit flies mark their mates to deter rivals.
Size Matters
Size Matters
Size Matters
The disproportionately endowed carabid beetle reveals that the size of female—and not just male—genitalia influences insemination success.

Profiles

Let’s Talk About Sex
Let’s Talk About Sex
Let’s Talk About Sex
In lieu of a career in punk rock, James Pfaus opted to study the brain signals underlying sexual behavior and then see what happened when he manipulated them.

Scientist to Watch

Sari van Anders: Sexy Thoughts, Sexy Data
Sari van Anders: Sexy Thoughts, Sexy Data
Sari van Anders: Sexy Thoughts, Sexy Data
Assistant professor, Psychology and Women’s Studies, University of Michigan. Age: 36

Lab Tools

Bird’s-Eye Proteomics
Bird’s-Eye Proteomics
Bird’s-Eye Proteomics
A guide to mass spectrometers that can handle the top-down-proteomics challenge
The Sooner, The Better
The Sooner, The Better
The Sooner, The Better
New approaches to diagnosing bacterial infections may one day allow the identification of pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility in a matter of hours or minutes.

Bio Business

That Loving Feeling
That Loving Feeling
That Loving Feeling
There are no FDA-approved drugs to treat low sexual desire in women, but not for lack of trying.

Reading Frames

Geni-Tales
Geni-Tales
Geni-Tales
Penises and vaginas are not just simple sperm delivery and reception organs. They have been perfected by eons of sexual conflict.
 

Capsule Reviews

Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Sex on Earth, Wild Connection, The Classification of Sex, and XL Love

Foundations

Imaging Intercourse, 1493
Imaging Intercourse, 1493
Imaging Intercourse, 1493
For centuries, scientists have been trying to understand the mechanics of human intercourse. MRI technology made it possible for them to get an inside view.
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