sex differences

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.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne evolutionary neurobiologist is using Drosophila to investigate how organisms adapt to novel environments.

A study finds that the odorless compound hexadecanal, or HEX, increases aggressive behavior in women but has a calming effect on men.

Male placentas produce more proinflammatory molecules than female placentas, while people carrying male fetuses produce fewer antibodies in response to infection, a study finds.

Ancient and modern genomes reveal that a variant of the human growth hormone receptor likely helped our ancestors survive when food was scarce.

The largest study of its kind identifies single nucleotide polymorphisms with disparate effects on men’s and women’s susceptibility to conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Authors of a new review urge researchers to consider how the chromosomal sex of a cell affects experiments in research on neurodegeneration.

Stronger interferon production, greater T cell activation, and increased susceptibility to autoimmunity are just some of the ways that females seem to differ from males.

Males and females show differences in gene expression, cell activation, and antibody production in response to some viral infections, but whether these influence COVID-19 outcomes is still unclear.

The gene BCO2 enables male and female members of some bird species to display dramatically different color patterns.

In some finch species, the difference between colorful males and muted females comes down to one gene, BCO2, which encodes an enzyme that degrades carotenoids.

As male Drosophila grow old, selfish genetic elements that are abundant on the Y chromosome become more active, which appears to reduce longevity.

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

Emerging data as well as knowledge from the SARS and MERS coronavirus outbreaks yield some clues as to why SARS-CoV-2 affects some people worse than others.

The molecular processes that lead males to be more susceptible to the disease are only beginning to come to light.

Men’s pain tolerance decreases when exposed to a setting where they’ve previously had a painful experience.

Controversy surrounding a mathematical model to explain the so-called “greater variability of males” hypothesis fells two versions of a paper—but critics of the work wish it were still published.

Research into the biological basis of gender identity is in its infancy, but clues are beginning to emerge.

Researchers are beginning to tease apart the mechanisms underlying differences in how males and females respond to powerful painkillers.