Mating and Breeding News

September 23, 2023

Top Headlines

Understanding the Sex Life of Coral Gives Hope of Clawing It Back from the Path to Extinction

Sep. 21, 2023 — Scientists have mapped the reproductive strategies and life cycle of an endangered coral species, the purple cauliflower soft coral Dendronephthya australis. Lab-grown larvae have been successfully ...

16 Strange New Parasitoid Wasp Species Discovered in Vietnam

Sep. 19, 2023 — Researchers have discovered 16 new species of strange-looking parasitoid wasps from the Loboscelidia group. The study also revealed for the first time the unique parasitic behavior of a captive female from one species, who after parasitizing her ...

Clever Lapwings Use Cover to Hide in Plain Sight

Sep. 14, 2023 — Ground-nesting birds called lapwings use the shape of their nests and surroundings to hide from predators, new research ...

Pollination by More Than One Bee Species Improves Cherry Harvest

Sep. 14, 2023 — To obtain the biggest cherry harvest, trees should be pollinated by both honey bees and mason bees. This new study shows yet another benefit of ...

Latest Headlines

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Mitochondrial Genome Editing Technique Yields Useful Traits

Sep. 15, 2023 — Tweaks to the mitochondrial genome hold the potential for better hybrid seed production or to introduce seedless ...

First U.S. Study of Nest Temperature Impacts on Leatherback Hatchlings

Sep. 7, 2023 — A study shows nest temperatures affect leatherback hatchling shape, performance and nest success. Lower temperatures produced longer hatchlings; highest temperatures produced hatchlings with thicker ...

Study Illuminates Mechanism That Annotates Genetic Information Passed from Fathers to Offspring

Sep. 6, 2023 — Scientists have identified a key part of a mechanism that annotates genetic information before it is passed from fathers to their offspring. The ...

New Research Sheds Light on Origins of Social Behaviors

Sep. 5, 2023 — Male fruit flies don't usually like each other. Socially, they reject their fellow males and zero in on the females they discern via chemical receptors -- or so scientists ...

Di-Isononyl Phthalate Disrupts Pregnancy in Mice, Study Finds

Sep. 1, 2023 — In a new study, researchers used mice to understand how DiNP affects ...

Male Crested Macaques More Likely to Respond to Offspring Screams Recruiting Support

Aug. 29, 2023 — When infants are involved in agonistic conflicts, male crested macaques (Macaca nigra) are more likely to respond to screams from their own ...

Move Over Pythons: These Snakes Are the Real Champion Eaters

Aug. 25, 2023 — Pythons have huge appetites, but which snake would win an eating contest? Surprisingly, it's a harmless little African snake that consumes eggs whole like an ...

Deforestation Limits Nesting Habitat for Cavity-Nesting Birds

Aug. 23, 2023 — A new study of cavity-nesting birds in Ecuador shows the influence of deforestation on their habitat and reproductive success. Nest boxes could ...

Scientists Solve Mystery of Why Thousands of Octopus Migrate to Deep-Sea Thermal Springs

Aug. 23, 2023 — Researchers used advanced technology to study a massive aggregation of deep-sea octopus gathered at thermal springs near an extinct underwater ...

Bee Populations at Risk of One-Two Punch from Heat Waves, Pathogen Infection

Aug. 16, 2023 — The historically high heat waves that gripped the southwest United States and southern Europe this summer are causing problems for more than just ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Mosquito Hearing Could Be Targeted by Insecticides

Aug. 11, 2023 — Specific receptors in the ears of mosquitoes have been revealed to modulate their hearing, finds a new study. Scientists say, this discovery could help develop new insecticides and control the spread ...

Biologists Find What Colors a Butterfly's World

Aug. 10, 2023 — As butterflies flit among flowers, they don't all view blossoms the same way. In a phenomenon called sexually dimorphic vision, females of some butterfly species perceive ultraviolet color while ...

Researchers Identify Peptides for Pollen Tube Growth in Rice

Aug. 10, 2023 — Rapid alkalinization factors (RALFs) are required for pollen tube germination and elongation, an essential process in plant fertilization. But their role in monocot plants remains unexplored. ...

Protected Sex: Grouper Mating Calls in Marine Managed Areas

Aug. 9, 2023 — Groupers produce distinct sounds associated with courtship, territoriality or reproduction. An autonomous mobile wave glider and passive acoustics were deployed to survey two marine protected areas ...

Researchers Are Using Monkey Poop to Learn How an Endangered Species Chooses Its Mates

Aug. 2, 2023 — Northern muriquis, which live in the Atlantic forest of Brazil, are one of the most endangered species of monkey in the world. To better understand what goes on in the mating lives of muriquis, ...

Male Moth 'Aphrodisiac' Revealed

Aug. 1, 2023 — Study reveals a powerful pheromone chemical used by males moths to entice ...

Discovery of Key Genetic Sequence Essential for Plant Reproduction

July 31, 2023 — Researchers have identified a genetic sequence that is essential for plant reproduction. As this region is found in all plant species, it is expected to contribute to future crossbreeding initiatives ...

Scientists Discover Secret of Virgin Birth, and Switch on the Ability in Female Flies

July 28, 2023 — Scientists have pinpointed a genetic cause for virgin birth for the first time, and once switched on the ability is passed down through generations of ...

Lifespan of Aging Science's Model Organism Driven by Reproductive Self-Destruction

July 26, 2023 — The lifespan of a small roundworm that has been used as a key model organism in aging research is limited by how it self-sacrifices to feed its young, finds a new ...

Egg 'Signatures' Will Allow Drongos to Identify Cuckoo 'Forgeries' Almost Every Time, Study Finds

July 26, 2023 — Egg 'signatures' will allow drongos to identify cuckoo 'forgeries' almost every time, study finds. African cuckoos may have met their match with the fork-tailed drongo, which ...

In Rats, Loss of Immune Cells Leads Non-Moms to Care for Newborns

July 19, 2023 — Immune system changes in the pregnant body that protect the fetus appear to extend to the brain, where a decrease in immune cells late in gestation may factor into the onset of maternal behavior, new ...

Poetic Birdsong, Precisely Tuned

July 17, 2023 — Nightingales match the pitch of their whistle songs to those of their rivals in real ...

Sex Lives of Orchids Reads Like Science Fiction

July 12, 2023 — Scientists have created a global database of pollination data for almost 3000 orchid ...

Size Does Matter: Group Size and Mating Preferences Drive Deeper Male Voices

July 11, 2023 — Group size and mating preferences may have caused male primates, including humans, to evolve deeper voices than females. The findings can help to shed light on social behavior in humans and their ...

Study Shows Same-Sex Sexual Behavior Is Widespread and Heritable in Macaque Monkeys

July 10, 2023 — Observations of a wild colony of macaques over three years show same-sex sexual behavior among males is widespread and may be ...

Human-Made Materials in Nests Can Bring Both Risks and Benefit for Birds

July 9, 2023 — We all discard a huge amount of plastic and other human-made materials into the environment, and these are often picked up by birds. New research has shown that 176 bird species around the world are ...

Spider Mite Males Undress Maturing Females to Win the First Mating

July 7, 2023 — In males of many species, it pays to identify females that are nearing maturity to be the first in line for mating. Now researchers have found a remarkable example: male spider mites guard and then ...

Birds Raise Fewer Young When Spring Arrives Earlier in a Warming World

July 3, 2023 — A new study of North American songbirds finds that birds can't keep up with the earlier arrival of spring caused by climate change. As a result, they're raising fewer young. By the end of ...

Songbird Study Shows One Hit Wonder Has to Change His Tune to Attract a Mate

June 28, 2023 — Over two years, researchers recorded and analyzed 7,000 songs of wild blue tits breeding in closely monitored nest boxes. They devised an experiment which involved playing song recordings to ...

Undergrad-Driven Project Reveals Drought's Effects on Painted Turtles

June 28, 2023 — A projected rise in droughts could muddy the waters for painted turtles and some fellow freshwater-dwelling reptiles, says 11 years of data collected by 50-plus undergraduates. Two recent studies ...

Friday, August 11, 2023