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A tomography image in greyscale of snake tissues
Snakes Have Clitorises After All, Study Finds
Researchers visualize the snake clitoris in detail for the first time, finding evidence that the organ may be evolutionarily important for snake sex.
Snakes Have Clitorises After All, Study Finds
Snakes Have Clitorises After All, Study Finds

Researchers visualize the snake clitoris in detail for the first time, finding evidence that the organ may be evolutionarily important for snake sex.

Researchers visualize the snake clitoris in detail for the first time, finding evidence that the organ may be evolutionarily important for snake sex.

sexual behavior

A pair of zebra finches in a cage
Animal Divorce: When and Why Pairs Break Up
Catherine Offord | Jun 1, 2022 | 10+ min read
Many species of birds and other vertebrates form pair bonds and mate with just one other individual for much of their lives. But the unions don’t always work out. Scientists want to know the underlying factors.
Infographic showing genetic and social monogamy in birds
Infographic: A New Look at Monogamy Across the Animal Kingdom
Catherine Offord | Jun 1, 2022 | 2 min read
Advances in genetics in recent years has revealed that many apparently exclusive pairs in fact sometimes mate with individuals other than their partner, but social monogamy is widespread.
Reddish shelf fungi on a log
This Fungus Has More Than 17,000 Sexes
James M. Gaines | Apr 20, 2022 | 4 min read
Advances in sequencing technologies have finally allowed researchers to zero in on the genetic diversity underlying the incredible mating system of shelf fungi.
funnel web spider courtship
Image of the Day: Spider Sex
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 26, 2019 | 2 min read
Funnel-web spiders change the timing of their distinct courtship behavior depending on what microbes they’re carrying.
Larger Hermit Crab Penises May Prevent Shell Theft
Abby Olena, PhD | Jan 16, 2019 | 4 min read
Members of species with shells they must hold onto for survival have larger sexual tubes than those with less precious private property.
Do Human Pheromones Exist?
Diana Kwon | Jan 23, 2018 | 5 min read
Despite the prevalence of pheromone products on the market, substantial evidence that they can induce sexual attraction is lacking.
Fast-Tracking Sexual Maturation
Ruth Williams | Nov 1, 2017 | 4 min read
The brains and bodies of young female rats can be accelerated into puberty by the presence of an older male or by stimulation of the genitals.
Sexual Touch Promotes Early Puberty
Ruth Williams | Sep 21, 2017 | 3 min read
The brains and bodies of young female rats can be accelerated into puberty by the presence of an older male or by stimulation of the genitals.
Image of the Day: Monkey Business
The Scientist | Jan 10, 2017 | 1 min read
For the first time, researchers have documented interspecies sexual behavior between a male Japanese macaque and a female sika deer.
Hot Off the Presses
Bob Grant | Aug 1, 2016 | 3 min read
Idiot Brain, Wild Sex, Why Diets Make Us Fat, and The Ethics of Invention
Guppie Porn
The Scientist | Jul 31, 2016 | 1 min read
Biologist Carin Bondar delivers a TED talk about the wilder side of sex.
HIV in the Internet Age
Jef Akst | May 1, 2015 | 4 min read
Social networking sites may facilitate the spread of sexually transmitted disease, but these sites also serve as effective education and prevention tools.
Let’s Talk About Sex
Megan Scudellari | Jul 1, 2014 | 9 min read
In lieu of a career in punk rock, James Pfaus opted to study the brain signals underlying sexual behavior and then see what happened when he manipulated them.
Geni-Tales
Menno Schilthuizen | Jul 1, 2014 | 3 min read
Penises and vaginas are not just simple sperm delivery and reception organs. They have been perfected by eons of sexual conflict.
 
Sari van Anders: Sexy Thoughts, Sexy Data
Daniel Cossins | Jul 1, 2014 | 3 min read
Assistant professor, Psychology and Women’s Studies, University of Michigan. Age: 36
A Rock and a Hard Place
Bob Grant | Jul 1, 2014 | 4 min read
Meet the retired chemical engineer who has made quite the impression on paleoentomology by uncovering ancient secrets of insect coitus.
Accidental Orgasms
Rina Shaikh-Lesko | Jul 1, 2014 | 4 min read
Meet the researcher struggling to gain approval for his medical device, which was originally designed to relieve back pain, but turned out to be an orgasm inducer.
The Love Bug
Jef Akst | Jul 1, 2014 | 4 min read
A mysterious iridovirus outbreak in a lab colony of crickets reveals the virus’s ability to spur increased sexual activity.
Sex and Drugs
Kerry Grens | Jul 1, 2014 | 3 min read
Did 20th-century pharmaceutical and technological advances shape modern sexual behaviors?
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