Perceptions about the role of sperm have changed over time, but asexual reproduction doesn't need sperm for fertilization.
Getting the job done. A female Asian water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) produced a daughter (left) without the assistance of a male.
Skip Brown/Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Mercedes Burns, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction in which an egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by sperm, might be more common than you realized.
This insect's unique reproductive biology could lead to new ways to control the species in the environment – and prevent the deadly sleeping sickness it spreads to people.
Using new technology to answer questions about shark reproduction.
Tanya Houppermans
Researchers are using a newly developed satellite tag to study previously unknown aspects of tiger shark reproduction. This approach could be used on other difficult-to-study shark species.
The three-toed skink can give birth to live young and lay eggs in the same pregnancy. What can this little critter teach us about the evolution of live birth?
Although the United Nations has raised concerns about the rights of children, advocates say a baby hatch, like the one shown here in Karlsruhe, Germany, can save lives.
(Hardt Foundation)
Since an infant was found in a recycling bin last fall in Saskatoon, advocates have renewed their campaign for baby hatches, places mothers can leave newborns safely and anonymously.
We found that women who had sex at least weekly or monthly were less likely to enter into early menopause compared to women who engaged in sexual activity less often.
The debate about why women have a clitoris has long been shaped by cultural, religious and moral influences.
from www.shutterstock.com
New research suggests the clitoris is equally as important for reproduction as it is for sexual pleasure. But the evidence behind that claim is up for debate.
For millennia, theologians taught that the sole purpose of sex was reproductive. Now, almost everyone agrees that sex has many purposes – and benefits.
Dean Drobot/Shutterstock.com
Gilles Pison, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN)
The UN's new global population projections include some surprises – in particular, that the global population in 2100 will be 3% less than they projected in 2017.
When it comes to reproduction, couple have more choices than ever before.
Chinnapong/Shutterstock.com
A ban on clinical trials involving gene editing rules out the controversial procedure done in China. But it also prevents procedures that could offer couples a chance for healthy children without genetic disorders.
A Planned Parenthood in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Ken Wolter/shutterstock.com
It was not until the late 1990s that the anatomy of the human clitoris was accurately described by Australia’s first female urologist. And now research in animals is starting to catch up.
Welcome to the world, little lizard. A three-toed skink (Saiphos equalis) hatching from an egg.
Nadav Pezaro
The evolution of live birth from egg-laying is no mean feat. Now new research reports on the first known example where both eggs and a live birth come from the same lizard pregnancy.
We’re having less sex than we used to.
Toa Heftiba