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Ancient hominins may have needed midwives to help deliver babies

7 May 2021

Based on the shapes of their pelvises, extinct hominins like Australopithecus had a hard time giving birth, suggesting mothers in labour needed assistance from their peers

Don't miss: Maternal artworks, blooming islands and rewarding maths

5 February 2020

This week, catch the last few days of an art show that gives mothers their due, explore a land of orchids and discover how loving maths makes us better people

Ape ‘midwives’ spotted helping female bonobos give birth

18 May 2018

When female bonobos went into labour, other females gathered around to keep them safe, swatting away flies and even seemingly trying to catch the baby as it emerged

Dad power: The surprising new science of fatherhood

21 March 2018

When Anna Machin realised science was skewed towards mums, she set out to change that - and discovered fatherhood comes with a raft of changes to the mind and body

Valentine’s Day seems to cause a mini baby-boom 9 months later

14 February 2018

National Health Service data reveals that around Valentine’s Day there is a 5 per cent rise in the number of babies conceived in England

Chemical controllers: How hormones influence your body and mind

9 August 2017

Does testosterone make men bald? Is there a love hormone? Do pregnancy hormones turn your brain to mush? New Scientist sifts the facts from the fiction

IVF babies tend to be lighter than others but end up heavier

1 August 2017

The first IVF baby was born 39 years ago, but we are only now learning about the long-term effects of the technique, which may raise a person’s obesity risk

Clinic ‘turkey baster’ method may be worth trying before IVF

27 July 2017

A medical fertility treatment that puts sperm directly into a woman’s uterus has fallen out of favour, but studies suggest it’s more effective than we thought