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A cross section of the pistil of <em>Arabidopsis thaliana&nbsp;</em>plant. Pollen grains are labeled with fluorescent markers and sit at the top of the structure. Fluorescently tagged pollen tubes penetrate the plant&rsquo;s ovary where the ovules (small, curved structures) are located.
The Hidden Dance of Plant Fertilization
A new method enables clear visualization of the dynamic changes during angiosperm reproduction.
The Hidden Dance of Plant Fertilization
The Hidden Dance of Plant Fertilization

A new method enables clear visualization of the dynamic changes during angiosperm reproduction.

A new method enables clear visualization of the dynamic changes during angiosperm reproduction.

sexual reproduction

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.
Brown coral in shallow water branching upward with blue fish in front. 
Corals Upend Longstanding Idea About Genetic Inheritance
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Sep 1, 2022 | 4 min read
Most animals can’t pass on mutations that arise spontaneously throughout their lives—but Elkhorn corals can.
A gametophyte of the brown alga <em>Desmarestia dudresnayi</em> that has both male and female reproductive structures
Meet the Algae That Went from Male/Female to Hermaphroditic
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Aug 1, 2022 | 2 min read
A study suggests that several species of brown algae may have independently evolved to express both sexes simultaneously, and it’s likely that female algae evolved male traits—not the other way around.
Ribbon weed meadow in Shark Bay, Western Australia
World’s Largest Organism Discovered Underwater
Andy Carstens | Jun 2, 2022 | 2 min read
Off the western Australian coast, in Shark Bay, a field of seagrass big enough to cover Washington, DC, has flourished for more than four millennia, a new study finds.
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.
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.
Women’s Cervical Mucus Prefers Some Sperm Over Others 
Abby Olena, PhD | Aug 18, 2020 | 3 min read
In human male-female pairs with a less similar suite of genes for human leukocyte antigens, sperm fare better when exposed to cervical mucus.
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.
Image of the Day: Self-Insemination
Carolyn Wilke | Feb 1, 2019 | 1 min read
Videos reveal how a female squid fertilizes her eggs—one at a time and without spilling much stored sperm.
Male Fruit Flies Take Pleasure in Having Sex
Jim Daley | Apr 20, 2018 | 1 min read
Sex-deprived males seek out alcohol.
Why Paternal Mitochondria Aren’t Passed On to Offspring
Tanya Lewis | Jun 24, 2016 | 1 min read
Researchers identify a C. elegans gene that leads the organelles to self-destruct in sperm following fertilization of an egg.
Review: The End of Sex
Tanya Lewis | May 13, 2016 | 2 min read
Legal expert Henry Greely envisions a world in which advances in biotechnology obviate the need for sexual reproduction as we know it.
Laugh, Then Think: The Ig Nobels
Karen Zusi | Sep 21, 2015 | 2 min read
This year’s awards honor research on bee stings, appendicitis, kissing, and more.
Fending Off Infection in Future Generations
Jef Akst | Aug 17, 2015 | 2 min read
Female fruit flies challenged with infection during their lifetimes have offspring with greater genetic diversity.
How to Make a New Species
Ruth Williams | Jul 1, 2015 | 2 min read
Scientists mutate a mating pheromone and its corresponding receptor in yeast to promote speciation.
Drug for Low Sex Drive in Women?
Jef Akst | Jun 8, 2015 | 2 min read
A federal advisory panel supports the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first drug for female sexual dysfunction.
Unique Frog Breeding
Bob Grant | Jan 5, 2015 | 1 min read
A newly described amphibian species engages in internal fertilizations and gives birth to tadpoles.
A Tale of Two Genitals
Bob Grant | Nov 5, 2014 | 1 min read
The genitalia of mammals and reptiles develop from two different tissues, but the structures share common genetic programs and molecular induction signals.
Week in Review: June 30–July 4
Tracy Vence | Jul 3, 2014 | 2 min read
STAP retractions; comparing SCNT-derived stem cells with iPSCs; malaria-infected mice more attractive to mosquitoes; stem cell banks face business challenges
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