All Articles Tagged As: reproduction

Worldwide platypus study tracks 160 million years (5/9/2008)

A four-year international research project to sequence the entire genetic record of the platypus over the past 160 million years has revealed new insights into the biology of Australia's famous icon. ...> Full Article

Clues To Ancestral Origin Of Placenta Emerge In Genetics Study (4/18/2008)

Researchers have uncovered the first clues about the ancient origins of a mother's intricate lifeline to her unborn baby, the placenta, which delivers oxygen and nutrients critical to the baby's health. ...> Full Article

Is DNA Repair a Substitute for Sex? (4/5/2008)

Team proposes an interesting hypothesis: Bdelloid rotifers have been able to give up sex and survive because they have evolved an extraordinary efficient mechanism for repairing harmful mutations to their DNA ...> Full Article

Loss Of Egg Yolk Genes In Mammals And The Origin Of Lactation And Placentation (3/20/2008)

Exploring the genetic changes that led mammals to feed their young via the placenta and with milk, rather then via the egg ...> Full Article

Genome scientists discover that evolution sometimes 'reinvents the wheel' (1/24/2008)

If a particular biological innovation is good enough to evolve once, it may sometimes be good enough to evolve multiple times independently in different species. ...> Full Article

Study discovers secret of Scottish sheep evolution (1/21/2008)

Researchers from the University of Sheffield, as part of an international team, have discovered the secret of why dark sheep on a remote Scottish Island are mysteriously declining, seemingly contradicting Darwin's evolutionary theory. ...> Full Article

Second 'Evolution Matters' Lecture Focuses on Genetic Patterns of Embryos, Kinship among Species (1/11/2008)

How does variation in genes generate the beautiful and astounding diversity of animal body shapes on Planet Earth? ...> Full Article

Evolution Of Male-female Differences Within A Shared Genome (1/6/2008)

One of the major components of the world's biological diversity are the differences between males and females in traits related to mating, including weapons used when competing for mates and display traits used to seduce them. Such gender differences are thought to arise because selection acts differently on each sex. The conflicting interests of males and females in reproduction are thought to be a key source of sex-specific selection on such traits. ...> Full Article

New route for heredity bypasses DNA (1/6/2008)

A group of scientists in Princeton's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology has uncovered a new biological mechanism that could provide a clearer window into a cell's inner workings. ...> Full Article

Mutant sperm guide clinicians to new diseases (12/3/2007)

Research published today in Nature Genetics shows that some rearrangements of the human genome occur more frequently than previously thought. The work is likely to lead to new identification of genes involved in disease and to improve diagnosis of genomic disease. ...> Full Article

Researchers Discover that a Handshake Could Signal High Quality Genes (11/24/2007)

Handgrip strength is an important measure of health and reproductive fitness. ...> Full Article

Should I eat the kids? When to care for, abandon, or eat your offspring (11/22/2007)

It is difficult to see how filial cannibalism, the consumption of one's own offspring, can be an adaptive evolutionary strategy. It is, however, common in many animals, and surprisingly is often coupled with parental care. ...> Full Article

New Evidence For Female Control In Reproduction (11/21/2007)

Adding another layer of competition to the mating game, scientists are reporting possible biochemical proof that the reproductive system of female mammals can "sense" the presence of sperm and react to it by changing the uterine environment. This may be the molecular mechanism behind post-copulatory sexual selection, in which females that have mated with several partners play a role in determining which sperm fertilizes their egg. ...> Full Article

'Time-sharing' birds key to evolutionary mystery (11/19/2007)

Whereas most birds are sole proprietors of their nests, some tropical species "time share" together - a discovery that helps clear up a 150-year-old evolutionary mystery. ...> Full Article

Gene In Male Fish Lures Females Into Sex (11/19/2007)

A gene has been found in male cichlid fish that evolved to lure female fish so that male cichlids can deposit sperm in the females mouths. A study in the online open access journal BMC Biology reveals that the gene is associated with egg-like markings on the fins of cichlid fishes and uncovers the evolutionary history of these markings, which are central to the success of the fishes' exotic oral mating behaviour. ...> Full Article

Parasites might spur evolution of strange amphibian breeding habits (11/18/2007)

Parasites can decimate amphibian populations, but one researcher believes they might also play a role in spurring the evolution of new and sometimes bizarre breeding strategies. ...> Full Article

Evolutionary Biology Research on Plant Shows Significance of Maternal Effects (11/16/2007)

When habitat changes, animals migrate. But how do immobile organisms like plants cope when faced with alterations to their environment? This is an increasingly important question in light of new environmental conditions brought on by global climate change. ...> Full Article

The bacteria can cheat on their mates (11/16/2007)

Pursuing our own short term interests by cheating on the rest of the population is not the preserve of the human race. It seems bacteria can operate in just the same way. ...> Full Article

Scientists alter sexual orientation in worms (10/29/2007)

Biologists genetically manipulated nematode worms so the animals were attracted to worms of the same sex - part of a study that shows sexual orientation is wired in the creatures' brains. ...> Full Article

Why Sex Chromosomes Evolve So Rapidly (10/24/2007)

In animals with separate sexes, embryos commit to becoming male or female at an early stage. Often this key decision is made by sex determination genes on the sex chromosomes. The genes involved in sexual development have changed remarkably little during evolution. In contrast, the sex determination genes and the sex chromosomes themselves are among the most rapidly changing features of the genome. ...> Full Article

Key Found To Moonlight Romance On The Reef (10/22/2007)

Researchers have discovered what could be the aphrodisiac for the biggest moonlight sex event on Earth. ...> Full Article

Scientists spy enzyme that makes us unique (10/18/2007)

Have you ever wondered why you inherited your mother's smile but not your father's height? Researchers are one step closer to unravelling how nature combines both maternal and paternal DNA to create genetically unique offspring. ...> Full Article

The benefits of 80 million years without sex (10/13/2007)

Scientists have discovered how a microscopic organism has benefited from nearly 80 million years without sex. ...> Full Article

Living fossils have hot sex (10/5/2007)

Primitive Plants Use Heat and Odor to Woo Pollinating Insects ...> Full Article

Three-way mating game of North American lizard found in distant European relative (10/2/2007)

An intricate three-way mating struggle first observed in a species of North American lizard has been discovered in a distant relative, the European common lizard. The two species are separated by 5,000 miles and 175 million years of evolution, yet they share behavioral and reproductive details right down to the gaudy colors of the males. ...> Full Article

New study shows that big brothers reduce fertility (9/28/2007)

Researchers have shown that having an older brother can affect an individual's fertility. The research shows that people who have an older brother produce fewer children than those born after a sister. ...> Full Article

Male voice pitch predicts reproductive success in hunter-gatherers (9/27/2007)

Researchers studied tribe that lives much as humans did 200,000 years ago ...> Full Article

Love the one you're with: Species still have more viable offspring if they can choose their best mate, but there are ways around even poor substitutes (9/21/2007)

New research shows that when animals must choose less-than-preferred mates, females and males apparently have ways to compensate that increase the chance their offspring will survive. ...> Full Article

Is there really a 'mommy' gene in women? (9/19/2007)

Basic principles of biology rather than women's newfound economic independence can explain why fewer of them are getting married and having children, and why the trend may only be temporary. ...> Full Article

Gene determines whether male body odor smells pleasant (9/18/2007)

To many, urine smells like urine and vanilla smells like vanilla. But androstenone, a derivative of testosterone that is a potent ingredient in male body odor, can smell like either - depending on your genes. While many people ascribe a foul odor to androstenone, usually that of stale urine or strong sweat, others find the scent sweet and pleasant. Still others cannot smell it at all. ...> Full Article

Chimpanzees Share Forbidden Fruit (9/13/2007)

They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and the same could be said for female chimpanzees. Researchers studying wild chimps in West Africa have discovered that males pinch desirable fruits from local farms and orchards as a means of attracting female mates. ...> Full Article

How drones find queens: Odorant receptor for queen pheromone identified (9/1/2007)

The mating ritual of the honey bee is a mysterious affair, occurring at dizzying heights in zones identifiable only to a queen and the horde of drones that court her. Now a research team led by the University of Illinois has identified an odorant receptor that allows male drones to find a queen in flight. The receptor, on the male antennae, can detect an available queen up to 60 meters away. ...> Full Article

Sex is thirst-quenching for female beetles (8/29/2007)

Female beetles mate to quench their thirst according to new research by a scientist from the University of Exeter's School of Biosciences. The males of some insect species, including certain types of beetles, moths and crickets, produce unusually large ejaculates, which in some cases can account for around 10% of their body weight. The study shows that dehydrated females can accept sexual invitations simply to get hold of the water in the seminal fluid. ...> Full Article

How To Share A Bat (8/29/2007)

New Study Demonstrates Flowers Evolve Different Shapes to Reduce Competition for Bat Pollination ...> Full Article

Echidna's Sex Life Under Study (8/27/2007)

A University of Adelaide-led project will study the genetic makeup of one of Australia's most iconic animals, the echidna, to give an unprecedented insight into their sex life and behaviour. ...> Full Article

Researcher finds amorous avian anointment protects mates (8/24/2007)

Hitting it off with members of the opposite sex takes chemistry. ...> Full Article

Birds With Child-care Assistance Invest Less In Eggs (8/21/2007)

An Australian bird has been found to produce smaller, less nourishing eggs when it breeds in the presence of other 'helper' birds that provide child-care assistance. This unique adaptation enables the birds to live longer and breed more often than females without helpers. The research, led by a University of Cambridge academic, was published in Science. ...> Full Article

Clones on task serve greater good, evolutionary study shows (8/21/2007)

"Don't ever change" isn't just a romantic platitude. It's a solid evolutionary strategy. ...> Full Article

Females avoid incest by causing male relatives to leave home (8/19/2007)

Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the UK and Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, Germany, have found that female hyenas avoid inbreeding with their male relatives by giving them little choice but to leave their birth group. ...> Full Article

Savanna habitat drives birds to cooperative breeding (8/18/2007)

Delaying having kids to help raise the offspring of others seems like a bad choice if you want to reproduce, but many African starlings have adopted this strategy to deal with the unpredictable climate of their savanna habitats, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, and Cornell University biologists. It appears in the Aug. 21 issue of the journal Current Biology. ...> Full Article

Adaptation To Parasites Drive African Fishes Along Different Evolutionary Paths (8/18/2007)

An international team of scientists from Canada (Université Laval), the U.K. (University of Hull, Cardiff University) and Spain (Doňana Biological Station), have discovered that a pair of closely related species of East African cichlid fishes -- a group of fish whose diversity comprising hundreds of species has puzzled evolutionary biologists for decades -- evolved divergent immune gene adaptations which might explain why they do not interbreed, despite living side by side. ...> Full Article

How Sea Slugs Fall In Love (8/14/2007)

Scott Cummins and his colleagues at The University of Queensland have uncovered a potent mix of chemicals which acts like a cross between Chanel No 5 and Viagra—but only if you are a sea slug. ...> Full Article

Scientists Plant Self-Pollination Idea (8/8/2007)

Studies in Science Express and Nature Genetics revise an understanding of sex evolution and genetic heritage. ...> Full Article

Self-Fertility In Fungi - The Secrets Of 'DIY Reproduction' (8/6/2007)

Research from The University of Nottingham sheds new light on a fascinating phenomenon of the natural world - the ability of some species to reproduce sexually without a partner. ...> Full Article

Parents Seeking Sex Abandon 1 In 3 Offspring (7/31/2007)

The eggs of the penduline tit Remiz pendulinus are frequently abandoned as both parents go in search of new sexual conquests, a study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology has found. ...> Full Article

Grandfathers' Role In Reproduction Unravelled By Researchers (7/29/2007)

Researchers at the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with the University of Turku in Finland, have discovered that grandfathers have little influence on the reproductive success of their adult children, where as grandmothers gain two extra grandchildren for every ten years they live after the menopause. ...> Full Article

Blind Chickens Lay More Eggs (7/23/2007)

A strain of chickens that are naturally blind produce more eggs than their sighted counterparts, a U of G animal scientist has found. ...> Full Article

African Black Plum Link To Baboon Contraception (7/21/2007)

Having spent a year in the rainforests of Nigeria, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow James Higham has announced unique findings on the reproductive ecology of female olive baboons and the contraceptive effects of the African black plum. ...> Full Article

Scientists Reconstruct Prehistoric Behavior And Ecology Of Northern Fur Seals (5/23/2007)

A team of researchers has documented major changes in the behavior, ecology, and geographic range of the northern fur seal over the past 1,500 years using a combination of techniques from archaeology, biochemistry, and ecology. Among their findings is evidence of reproductive behavior in the past that is not seen in modern populations of northern fur seals. ...> Full Article

Shark Born From Virgin Birth (5/23/2007)

On 14 December 2001, workers at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, came to work to discover a mystery that went unsolved for six years. That day they discovered a new baby hammerhead shark, in a tank with only females. ...> Full Article

Female Ducks Evolve To Protect Them From Rape (5/3/2007)

A team of scientists from the University of Sheffield and Yale University in the US have discovered that the female reproductive systems in some ducks and geese have evolved in order to keep unwanted male attention at bay. ...> Full Article