A new cross-species study shows same-sex sexual behaviour has social benefits for groups, which explains its high frequency in humans and other mammals.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow, La Trobe University
DNA of the male-determining Y chromosome has been completely sequenced end-to-end, and it’s just as weird as we expected. Will we finally be able to understand how it works?
Evolutionary geneticist Jenny Graves loves classical choral music, but grew tired of its biblical themes. So she set out to write an alternative based in science.
Some animals appear to use a ‘parliament’ of genes to determine sex. But a closer look reveals these are the exception rather than the rule.
Le chromosome Y humain pourrait disparaître avec le temps, mettant notre espèce en péril. Mais certains rongeurs se sont très bien débrouillés sans lui – et nous savons maintenant comment.
The human Y chromosome could disappear over time, putting our species in jeopardy. But some rodents have managed just fine without it – and we now know how.
The monumental Earth Biogenome Project has galvanised hundreds of geneticists and bioinformaticists from all over the world.
Les scientifiques ont eu la surprise de constater que deux femelles avaient pondu des œufs non fécondés par des mâles. Mais ces conceptions ne semblent pas donner d’individus en bonne santé.
Researchers were surprised to find two female condors had managed to hatch chicks that had no fathers. But virgin birth does not seem to produce healthy birds that could strengthen the population.
Our genomes are built from the tiny chromosomes of a small spineless creature that lived 684 million years ago.
The real message is how old you are when you first have sex and have your first child is controlled by a little bit of nature and a lot of nurture.
Female moles evolved to have high testosterone levels, making them fiercer diggers and mothers. Female hyenas share this trait, but it means they must give birth through a male-like phallus.
An intriguing link could help us understand why men are at higher risk from COVID-19 than women. It also might pave the way for a potential treatment.
Is it genes, chromosomes, hormones, the immune sytem – or behaviour – that makes men more susceptible to the deadly disease?
When a male bluehead wrasse is removed from the group he dominates, the largest female changes sex, rapidly transforming ovaries into sperm-producing testes. Molecular research shows how.
In science, we look at the evidence and try to find the theory that best explains it. And that’s what happened when it came to figuring out evolution.
Parkinson’s disease is twice as common in men than in women. A sex gene called SRY, found only in men, could go some way to explaining this – and might pave the way for potential treatments.
Birds have some of the most amazing sex differences of any animal. They can control the sex of offspring, and even produce rare half-male, half-females. And their sex genes and chromosomes are quite different from ours.
It’s not about trauma or how you were raised: evidence now points to a biological basis for transgender, and to the action of particular genes in that determination.
Secara biologis, seks mulai terbentuk saat Anda hanyalah seonggok kecil sel yang berada di uterus ibu.
There are many cultural and social factors involved in making a baby into a man or a woman. But biologically speaking, sex starts when you’re just a tiny group of cells in your mother’s uterus.
The koala genome, published today, gives us new and valuable information to aid conservation of this marsupial. It identifies special genes that evolved to adapt the koala to its unique lifestyle.
A new paper describes the idea of “genetic nurture”, where parents’ genes, even those not passed on to their child, have major effects on kids’ health and educational attainment.
Bagi seorang ahli genetika evolusi, gagasan bahwa susunan genetika seseorang mempengaruhi preferensi pasangannya tidaklah mengejutkan.
Like it or not, evidence now shows that men and women differ genetically far more profoundly that we previously recognised. An analysis from the 2017 winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science.
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