Subscribe now

Giving birth at an older age is linked to a longer life in women

14 July 2023

Every additional year before a woman gives birth to her last child is associated with an extra 22 days of life


cooperative breeding in redstarts

Birds from two different species raise chicks together in one nest

12 July 2023

A pair of common redstarts and a pair of black redstarts were seen brooding in the same nest in Italy – a kind of cooperative breeding that has never been documented before


Beetles that receive less care as larvae may become better parents

19 April 2023

An experiment with beetles suggests that those deprived of nurture in their early life may devote more time to helping their own offspring


Invasive Burmese python in Florida lays a record 96 eggs in one go

4 April 2023

A female Burmese python – an invasive species in the US – has laid a clutch of 96 eggs in one go, almost double the average for these snakes


Changes to surrogacy laws must consider future reproductive technology

Changes to surrogacy laws must consider future reproductive technology

8 March 2023

A reform of surrogacy law in the UK could have major ramifications as reproductive technology advances. We need to look at the relationship between procreation and parenthood, says Teresa Baron


Two orcas

Orca mothers forgo future offspring to care for their full-grown sons

8 February 2023

Female orcas in the north Pacific hunt and share food with their adult male offspring, and this seems to limit their chances of having more calves


Polycystic ovary syndrome

A better understanding of PCOS offers fresh hope for new treatments

26 January 2023

New insights into polycystic ovary syndrome are revealing more about the causes of this common but misunderstood whole-body condition, and these could lead to new treatments


Fewer than expected boys were born in England and Wales three months after lockdown was introduced

Fewer boys born in England and Wales in early stage of the pandemic

4 October 2022

The covid-19 pandemic has been linked to a decline in the proportion of male babies being born, in line with previous findings that fewer boys are born after population-wide stressful events


Female wētā insects have two sets of genitals and eat male ejaculate

Female wētā insects have two sets of genitals and eat male ejaculate

7 April 2022

Female short-tailed ground wētās have two sets of genitals, one to receive sperm and the other to receive extra ejaculate that they eat to survive parenting


The parthenogenetic mouse and the offspring. The parthenogenetic mouse was generated by targeted epigenetic rewriting of multiple imprinting control regions. The parthenogenetic mouse exhibited normal reproductive performance as an adult.

Mouse pups born from unfertilised eggs through genetic manipulation

7 March 2022

Parthenogenesis, the development of offspring from unfertilised eggs, was thought to be impossible in mammals, but researchers have used genetic trickery to make it happen


Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop