As the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society urges the government to consider “compensation” for surrogacy, we need to talk about the implications of this rhetoric for women.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Reproduction
Displaying 61 - 80 of 123 articles
Stephen Hawking thinks we need to leave the planet. Do we?
Sperm that’s been to space is good enough to get mice pregnant – and give birth to healthy offspring.
In 1997, scientists announced they’d created a healthy sheep cloned from another ewe’s mammary gland cell. Two decades on, the technique is being refined and applied to new challenges.
While most people might think age only affects female fertility, there is growing evidence sperm quality decreases as men age.
Why can we choose some things and not others?
A century from now you’re likely to be considered a risk taker if you opt for natural conception and birth rather than IVF and artificial wombs.
Study finds that gene linked to risk-taking is associated with losing your virginity early.
Rotifers are tiny creatures found in ponds or puddles and can reproduce without sex. The theory says they should not have survived so how have they done it?
A set of twins in Vietnam have been found to have different fathers.
It’s long been a mystery how queen bees stop their workers from laying eggs. The solution comes from understanding a gene we call Anarchy.
You might be surprised to hear that virgin births are possible - just not in humans. By the reason why remains an evolutionary mystery.
Sexual competition has made sperm the most diverse - and fascinating - cells in the animal kingdom.
Is a woman’s longing for a child evolution at work, or social conditioning? And what about those who don’t want kids? Are they defying nature? Probably not, as almost everyone wants sex.
Many animals, including humans, form long-term partnerships, but some are same-sex, suggesting they’re not all about raising offspring but some other form of cooperation.
Scientists have tended to think of nonhuman sexual behaviour as being all about reproduction. In fact, there is far more ha ha hee hee than we give animals credit for.
Since science made it possible to research manipulating the cells that are linked to reproduction, the naysayers have carried the day. But how solid are their objections really?
I sometimes forget that people can feel embarrassed listening to me talk about my research on sperm. But often those same people can also be a source of amazement and inspiration.
Recent research into the health effects of the plastic-making chemicals phthalates has reignited concerns about low sperm counts. But the evidence is far from conclusive.
Sperm banks and human cloning may not be the future. A study in beetles reveals that having two sexes boosts genetic quality.
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer, Evolutionary Biology, University of Sydney
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Lecturer in Molecular Biology and Reproduction, University of Kent
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Mark Elgar is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Evolutionary Biology, The University of Melbourne
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Karin Hammarberg is a Friend of The Conversation.
Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women's Health, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer in Genetics, University of Adelaide
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Postdoctoral Research Associate, UNSW Sydney
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PhD student, University of Wyoming
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Jenny Graves is a Friend of The Conversation.
Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow, La Trobe University
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Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Politics of Reproduction, University of Waterloo
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Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University
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Science Communicator, University of Sydney
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Finkel Professor of Global Health, Monash University
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Professor, School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne
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Post-doctoral researcher, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Åbo Akademi University
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Professor; Director, UWA Centre for Evolutionary Biology, The University of Western Australia
