Male flies produce a chemical that makes females sleep in after mating

22 December 2022

A “sex peptide” transferred from male to female fruit flies during mating interferes with the female’s biological clock, reducing her chances of mating again

Male contraceptive pill is safe and effective in tests in mice

23 March 2022

A daily pill drastically reduced sperm counts in mice with no side effects, but many male contraceptives have previously failed in human trials

Human eggs release chemicals that attract some sperm more than others

10 June 2020

A person’s eggs release chemicals after sex that preferentially attract sperm from certain people, which might help explain why some people have fertility problems

Why climate change is creating more female sea turtles and crocodiles

19 February 2020

As the world gets warmer, animals whose sex is determined by temperature are finding cool ways to control their own fate. But can they adapt in time?

Women have a daily hormone cycle as well as a monthly one

7 September 2019

Female hormones like oestrogen and FSH have daily ebbs and flows that may explain mood variations and why some female shift-workers struggle to get pregnant

Some jellyfish sperm have stingers that fire inside females

27 July 2019

A few species of jellyfish fertilise eggs internally, and their sperm come with tiny stingers that help them anchor to the tissue within the female gonads

Sex

21 June 2019

Male peacocks can make females' heads vibrate at a distance

18 June 2018

Peahens have fan-shaped crests on their heads, and it seems males can make these crests resonate by making a specific noise with their tails

A fossil may rewrite the story of how plants first lived on land

30 April 2018

A plant fossil that lay unnoticed for a century is unexpectedly large for something so old, and it could upend our ideas about the evolution of land plants

Male fruit flies feel pleasure when they ejaculate

19 April 2018

Male insects have been genetically engineered to climax on command, and it seems they get a real buzz out of it – perhaps even a fly orgasm