reproduction

Nearly all mouse sperm have hooks on their heads. But new research suggests the structures slow them down—so what exactly is their purpose?

During their escape, male spiders can reach speeds in excess of 3 kilometers per hour thanks to their springy front legs.

Researchers report they were able to make functional sperm in a dish, a feat previously only possible for mice.

Studies have found that organisms can inherit mitochondria from male parents in rare instances, and both theoretical and experimental work hint that this biparental inheritance is more than just a fluke.

A look back at some of the articles we most enjoyed reading, writing, and editing this year

Biological robots made from frog cells can replicate by smooshing loose cells into new robots—a reproduction method not seen in any other organism.

Scientists are banking various samples from recipients of donated uteruses to learn all they can about the biology of the organ, and about transplantation more generally.

With human research trials resulting in dozens of successful deliveries in the US and abroad, doctors move toward offering the surgery clinically, while working to learn all they can about uterine and transplant biology from the still-rare procedure.

CRISPR and other innovations are likely to open up a wealth of new options for how people have children.

A combination of approaches, including uterus transplantation and the joining of two animals’ circulatory systems, allowed males to bear pups, according to a preprint. But some experts say the experiments were not justified.  

The hardy animals were pulled from the permafrost in Siberia, giving scientists the opportunity to study how they survive extreme conditions.

A single gene called BMP11 regulates not only the size and proportions of a water strider’s massively long third legs, but also how it uses the limbs in fights.

Following vaccination, some women claim their periods have changed, leading to rumors about how the shots affect recipients’ reproductive systems, and even others’ by proxy.  

Female mice modeling the hormonal disorder can pass symptoms down for several generations, likely via changes in genome methylation that are similarly observed in women with PCOS.

A long-term study finds that these rhythms align at certain times of women’s lives, shedding new light on the controversial idea that lunar phases influence human reproduction.

Meet Shoko Sakai, a scientist at Kyoto University's Center for Ecological Research, who explains some of the remarkable reproductive adaptations of plants.

In human male-female pairs with a less similar suite of genes for human leukocyte antigens, sperm fare better when exposed to cervical mucus.

In most vertebrates, the absence of adaptive immunity would be catastrophic, but in some deep-sea angler fish species, it enables their “wild” and “wacky” mating habits.