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Reproduction

Ancient Reptiles Kept Switching Between Laying Eggs And Giving Birth to Live Babies

Colder temperatures seem key to triggering the switch to live births

Some scientists think that our compatibility genes—the same genes that determine whether an organ transplant will take—play a role in sexual attraction.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

We Know Your Genes Can Influence Your Health, But Can They Also Influence Who You Love?

The same genes that dictate whether or not you can accept an organ transplant may guide your choice in a romantic partner

To prevent young birds from imprinting on humans, flock manager Jane Chandler dons a white gown and a mask. She uses a puppet to teach them survival skills.

A Call to Save the Whooping Crane

Smithsonian researchers join an international effort to bring the five-foot-tall bird back from the brink of extinction

On the R.A. Brown Ranch, fifth-generation ranger Donnell Brown can't help thinking about the potential he had created through decades' worth of work.

Breeding the Perfect Bull

A Texas cattleman used genetic science to breed his masterpiece – a near-perfect Red Angus bull. Then nature took its course

"If we don't do something," says Knowlton, who has earned the nickname Dr. Doom, "we could lose all corals by 2050."

A Coral Reef’s Mass Spawning

Understanding how corals reproduce is critical to their survival; Smithsonian’s Nancy Knowlton investigates the annual event

Soldier beetles mate on a bed of flowers.

The Curious Do’s and Don’ts of Insect Dating Behavior

Bugs tap, dance and buzz to attract their mates—and some get eaten

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Return of the Beasts

Elephant seals descend on California beaches for breeding season

National Zoo researchers (with Ume) are experimenting with cheetah fertility.

Breeding Cheetahs

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Big Love

In a mating ritual, male humpback whales leap, splash and fight. But researchers ask: just what does a female whale want?

In the past decade or so, over 95 percent of India's vultures have died.

Soaring Hopes

The first two Asian vultures breed in captivity

The product of a ten-year Sino-American conservation effort, the cub may help scientists reestablish the endangered giant pandas in the wild, where about 1,600 are believed to exist.

Learning from Tai Shan

The giant panda born at Washington, D.C.’s National Zoo has charmed animal lovers. Now he’s teaching scientists more than they had expected

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