In Tune With the Moon: Female Menstrual Cycle Influenced by Moonlight and Even the Moon’s Gravity
The blog “Ladyplanet. Natürlich Frau sein” is quite certain: “Our cycle is linked to that of the moon. The most obvious connection is the length…
Reproductive Biology
Twin Peaks: More Human Twins Are Being Born Than Ever Before
More human twins are being born than ever before, according to the first comprehensive, global overview published on March 12, 2021, in Human Reproduction,[1] one…
MIT Biologists and Mathematicians Reveal How Egg Cells Get So Big
Oocyte growth relies on physical phenomena that drive smaller cells to dump their contents into a larger cell. Egg cells are by far the largest…
Brain Imaging Reveals: Not All Monogamous Mammals Are “Wired for Love” in the Same Way
Lemurs Show There’s No Single Formula for Lasting Love Humans aren’t the only mammals that form long-term bonds with a single, special mate — some…
Anti-Aphrodisiac: Male Butterflies Mark Their Mates With Repulsive Smell During Sex to “Turn Off” Other Suitors
Butterflies have evolved to produce a strongly scented chemical in their genitals that they leave behind after sex to deter other males from pursuing their…
New Climate Change Research: Future Too Warm for Baby Sharks
New research has found as climate change causes the world’s oceans to warm, baby sharks are born smaller, exhausted, undernourished, and into environments that are…
Stunning Discovery: Bonefish Dive 450 Feet “Deep” Into the Abyss to Spawn
A new study provides the first detailed documentation of a shallow water fish diving 450 feet deep to spawn. Uncovering this very rare spawning behavior…
Diet Can Modulate Male Fertility: Nut Consumption Causes Changes in Sperm DNA Function
Adding nuts to a Western-style diet has an effect on its epigenetics; this research shows, for the first time, that there are regions in the…
Over-Exchange of DNA in Sperm and Eggs Results in Chromosome Defects That Can Increase Infertility
University of Oregon and Northwestern University biologists show that too many crossover events can increase infertility. The exchange of DNA between chromosomes during the early…
Sperm Biomarker Identified That’s Associated With Couples’ Pregnancy Probability
University of Massachusetts Amherst scientists say discovery could lead to better diagnosis of male infertility. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have identified a…
Sexual Intercourse of Ostracods Revealed Through 100-Million-Year-Old Amber Discovery
Small bivalved crustacean ostracods are the most abundant fossil arthropods since the Ordovician and play an important role in paleoenvironmental reconstruction and evolutionary biology. The…
Gene-Edited Livestock “Surrogate Sires” Successfully Created by Scientists to Transform Animal Breeding
For the first time, scientists have created pigs, goats and cattle that can serve as viable “surrogate sires,” male animals that produce sperm carrying only…
Public Health Warning: High Levels of Toxic Chemicals Found in Dust Inside College Classrooms
School spaces with newer furniture show significantly lower levels of hazardous exposures. There are good reasons to be worried about indoor air quality right now,…
How Human Sperm Fooled Scientists for 350 Years
How Human Sperm Really Swim: New Research Challenges Old Assumption New research in fertility science by researchers from Bristol and Mexico has shattered the universally…
Different Women’s Eggs Attract Different Men’s Sperm – And Not Necessarily Their Partners
Human Eggs Prefer Some Men’s Sperm Over Others Human eggs use chemical signals to attract sperm. New research from Stockholm University and Manchester University…
New Sex Hormone Discovered by Biologists
New hormone that stimulates sexual functions in fish could lead to novel infertility treatments in humans. When University of Ottawa biologists Kim Mitchell and Vance…
Study Warns: Some Antibiotics Prescribed During Pregnancy Linked With Major Birth Defects
Children of mothers prescribed macrolide antibiotics during the first trimester of pregnancy are at an increased risk of major birth defects when compared with penicillin,…
New Single-Cell Prenatal DNA Blood Test Can Identify Genetic Abnormalities
Non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPTs) are used for fetal genetic disease screening in pregnant women. In contrast, invasive tests like amniocentesis carry the risk of causing…