Mating and Breeding News

March 2, 2025

Top Headlines

'Smarts' Count: Evolution of Intelligence

Feb. 25, 2025 — The Beatles said it best: Love is all you need. And according to new research, the same may be true in the animal kingdom. Well, at least for mosquitofish -- a matchstick-sized fish endemic to Central America and now found globally. According to the ...

Turtles Change Nesting Patterns in Response to Climate Change

Feb. 20, 2025 — New research shows that turtles are responding to climate change by nesting ...

Function of Red Stigmas in Wind-Pollinated Flowers

Feb. 13, 2025 — Scientists discovered that the red stigmas in wind-pollinated trees accumulate anthocyanin, the same compounds that are revealed in autumn leaves after green chlorophyll production slows down and eventually stops. The anthocyanin supports pollen ...

How Fruit Flies Flit Between Courtship and Aggression to Fight for Mates

Feb. 13, 2025 — Male fruit flies don't just sing to their mates; they also use sound-cancelling wing-flicks to jockey with rivals. This new understanding of how male flies compete for female partners could shed light on how the brain balances cooperation and ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:16pm EST

Female Hoverflies Beat Males on Long-Distance Migrations

Feb. 11, 2025 — Male hoverflies are outflown by females when it comes to long-distance migration, research ...

Birds-of-Paradise Are Biofluorescent

Feb. 11, 2025 — New research reports, for the first time, the widespread occurrence of biofluorescence in birds-of-paradise. The study, based on specimens collected since the 1800s, finds biofluorescence in 37 of ...

Evolution Without Sex: How Mites Have Survived for Millions of Years

Jan. 24, 2025 — An international research team has discovered various mechanisms in asexual mites that generate genetic diversity and thus ensure ...

The Secret 'Sex Lives' of Bacteria: Study Challenges Old Ideas About How Species Form

Jan. 23, 2025 — New research shows bacteria form distinct species and maintain cohesion through frequent DNA exchange via homologous ...

More Acidic Oceans May Affect the Sex of Oysters

Jan. 23, 2025 — Rising carbon dioxide levels affect more than just the climate; they also affect the chemistry of the oceans. When saltwater absorbs carbon dioxide, it becomes acidic, which alters the aquatic animal ...

Male Flies Sharpened Their Eyesight to Call the Females' Bluff

Feb. 5, 2025 — With bloated bellies and hairy legs, female flies try to look bigger to get food from courting mates. But male flies, in turn, have sharpened their eyesight to call their bluff. A new study suggests ...

Octopuses Have Some of the Oldest Known Sex Chromosomes

Feb. 3, 2025 — Researchers have identified a sex chromosome in the California two-spot octopus. This chromosome has likely been around for 480 million years, since before octopuses split apart from the nautilus on ...

Love Bites? Scientists Identify Pre-Mating Behaviors of Whale Sharks in Coastal Western Australia

Jan. 13, 2025 — Researchers have witnessed behavior in the wild which could reveal critical clues about how the endangered whale shark ...

First Mouse With Two Male Parents to Reach Adulthood

Jan. 28, 2025 — A team of stem cell scientists have successfully used embryonic stem cell engineering to create a bi-paternal mouse -- a mouse with two male parents -- that lived until adulthood. Their results ...

Fruit Flies' Courtship Song May Hold Key to Controlling Mosquitoes

Jan. 24, 2025 — Researchers have found and confirmed a gene that allows female fruit flies to get on the same frequency as courting males. Mosquitoes have the same gene and a similar courtship ritual, meaning that ...

Uncovering the Role of Y Chromosome Genes in Male Fertility in Mice

Jan. 23, 2025 — Researchers have uncovered which genes on the Y chromosome regulate the development of sperm and impact fertility in male mice. This research could help us understand why some men don't produce ...

Super Enzyme That Regulates Testosterone Levels in Males Discovered in 'Crazy' Bird Species

Jan. 23, 2025 — A single gene that regulates testosterone levels in a 'crazy' species of shore bird controls the development of three wildly different types of males, a new study has found. Ruffs have long ...

Plant's Name-Giving Feature Found to Be New Offspring-Ensuring Method

Jan. 23, 2025 — 130 years after a fungus-eating plant received its name, a researcher has uncovered the purpose of the structure that inspired its name -- revealing a novel mechanism by which plants ensure ...

Ecologists Uncover Significant Ecological Impact of Hybrid Grouper Release Through Religious Practices

Jan. 19, 2025 — Ecologists have identified significant ecological risks associated with the release of hybrid groupers into Hong Kong's coastal waters, a practice often linked to religious 'mercy ...

Polygamy Is (Not) for the Birds

Jan. 13, 2025 — Researchers have uncovered new insights into the evolution of bird behavior, revealing why certain mating systems persist while others disappear over ...

Fishy Business: Male Medaka Mating Limits Revealed

Jan. 7, 2025 — Researchers have uncovered a daily mating capacity for medaka, providing important insights into the relationship between the cost of gamete production and sexual ...

Quantity Over Quality? Different Bees Are Attracted to Different Floral Traits

Jan. 2, 2025 — When it comes to deciding where they're going to get their next meal, different species of bees may be attracted to different flower ...

Dogs Trained to Sniff out Spotted Lanternflies Could Help Reduce Spread

Jan. 2, 2025 — Growers and conservationists have a new weapon to detect invasive spotted lanternflies early and limit their spread: dogs trained to sniff out egg masses that overwinter in vineyards and ...

Genetics of Alternating Sexes in Walnuts

Jan. 2, 2025 — Biologists have revealed genetics behind the alternating sexes of walnut trees. The research reveals a mechanism that has been stable in walnuts and their ancestors going back 40 million years -- and ...

Salmon Genes Unlock Secrets of Puberty and Evolution

Dec. 17, 2024 — A study shows how a single gene in Atlantic salmon can dramatically influence the timing of puberty -- a key factor for salmon life cycle and ...

Corals Depend on Near Neighbors to Reproduce

Dec. 16, 2024 — A new study reveals corals must be within only a few meters of each other to successfully reproduce, leaving them vulnerable in a warming ...

It's Complicated: Researchers Discover Unexpected Complexity of Sexual Differentiation in African Clawed Frog

Dec. 16, 2024 — Researchers have uncovered unexpected diversity in the genetic processes that determine the sex of the African clawed frog, a significant discovery in what was already one of the most widely studied ...

Barn Swallow Research Offers Real-Time Insight on How New Species Form

Dec. 12, 2024 — In a new study, scientists describe how different traits used to choose mates in barn swallow populations are driving the bird to diverge, which could eventually lead to the formation of new ...

How Helicopter Parenting Protects Baby Reef Fish

Dec. 12, 2024 — Researchers have discovered a rare example of 'great fish parenting' with a common coral reef species found to actively protect their young by eating ...

Once-Endangered Kirtland's Warblers Show Extensive Signs of Inbreeding in Genome

Dec. 10, 2024 — The genome of a once-endangered songbird shows extensive signs of inbreeding, according to a new study. Because inbreeding can negatively impact survival and reproduction, the results could guide ...

Wild Birds' Gut Microbiome Linked With Its Ornamentation and Body Condition

Dec. 10, 2024 — Researchers spent five years studying the gut microbiomes of Northern cardinals, a common backyard songbird known for its vivid red plumage. Their study explores how microbiome diversity impacts the ...

Pups of Powerful Meerkat Matriarchs Pay a Price for Their Mom's Status

Dec. 9, 2024 — In meerkat society a dominant female is in charge, growling, biting, pushing and shoving to keep others in line. The matriarch's bullying behavior is fueled by high levels of testosterone that ...

New Research Reveals Bird 'Divorce Rates' Linked to Rainfall

Nov. 28, 2024 — A 16-year study on a closed population of Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) on Cousin Island, Seychelles, has uncovered significant findings about how environmental factors -- ...

How Climate Change Threatens This Iconic Florida Bird

Nov. 25, 2024 — A new analysis of data from a long-term study finds that warmer winters driven by climate change reduced the number of offspring raised annually by the federally threatened Florida scrub-jay by 25% ...

Caste Differentiation in Ants

Nov. 22, 2024 — Scientists have revealed how a specific hormone regulates ant caste differentiation by phenotypic measurements of organ-level developmental changes and matching transcriptome ...