Why Viewers Are Drawn to Renaissance Artists’ Go-To Pose
A new study finds that the contrapposto stance reduces the waist-to-hip ratio, an attribute popularly associated with attractiveness
Male Black Widow Spiders Find Potential Mates by Following Other Suitors’ Trails
Although this strategy may seem counterintuitive, researchers say speedy tracking is an important factor in successful courtship
Swarms of Flying Ants Overtaking Great Britain Show Up as Rain on Radar
Once a year, the winged insects take to the skies and engage in mating rituals
The Evolution of Sex Could Have Provided a Defense Against Cancer Cells
The first sexually reproducing organisms may have found that the energy-intensive enterprise bolstered defenses against malignant cells
Bonobo Mothers Interfere in Their Sons’ Monkey Business
They find suitable mates for their offspring and chase away intruders once the mating begins, boosting fertility rates
Carolee Schneemann Pioneered the Way Women’s Bodies Were Seen
The multidisciplinary artist, who died this month at 79, used her body as a canvas to produce works that celebrated female sexuality
In Addition to Testosterone, Another Hormone Is Vital for Early Male Development
A hormone called androsterone, produced in the placenta and other organs, plays a role in fetal development in the womb
The British Library’s Dirtiest Books Have Been Digitized
The collection includes around 2,500 volumes and many, many double entendres
A City Frog’s Love Song Attracts More Mates Than Countryside Croaks
Fewer predators and heightened competition for mates allowed urban tungara frogs to add more notes and frills to their calls, with big results Read more: h
Recently Unearthed Roman Latrine Was Full of Dirty Jokes
Mosaics uncovered in a Roman bathroom in modern-day Turkey reminds us that bathroom humor has ancient roots
All-Female Termite Colonies Reproduce Without Male Input
These insects seem to have dispensed entirely of the need for males and their sperm
Pregnant Male Pipefish Are the Sea’s Swaggery Swingers
Male pipefish, which take on the burden of carrying eggs to term, can compromise their own pregnancies if they see a “huge, sexy female” swimming by
For Men, Gains in the Gym May Come at a Cost to Sperm
There might be a tradeoff between how strong men look and sperm count
It’s Not Without Caws That Crows Desecrate Their Dead
What dead crows can teach us about the connections between sex and aggression
The Earliest Mammals Kept Their Cool With Descended Testicles
But if free-swinging sperm sacs are the norm, then why did undescended ones evolve four separate times?
Alternatives to Heterosexual Pairings, Brought to You By Non-Human Animals
No one quite has this sex thing figured out, but these non-binary animals have some good ideas
Like Birds, Some Bats Warble to Woo Their Mates
They join an elite club of mammals—including mice, whales and humans—whose melodies convey complex information
Disgusting Things Fall Into Six Gross Categories
Open sores, body odors and other indicators of possible disease transmission top the list of things that gross us out
Dissecting Moth Genitals In the Name of Science
How “moth evangelist” Eric Metzler uncovered hundreds of moth species in the barren dunes of New Mexico
What the Large Penises of Tiny Crustaceans Tell Us About Evolution
Massive male sex organs have their perks, but in the long run, a little modesty pays
Page 5 of 10