http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- Promiscuous males are so intent on pursuing sexual partners that they can neglect even essential tasks such as eating, says a new study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology. http://phys.org/news202722680.html Biology Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:20:01 EST news202722680 Hormonal contraceptives change the ways captive ring-tailed lemurs relate to one another both socially and sexually, according to a Duke University study that combined analyses of hormones, genes, scent chemicals and behavior. http://phys.org/news199431828.html Biology Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:00:01 EST news199431828 The evolutionary mystery of menopause is a step closer to being solved thanks to research on killer whales. http://phys.org/news197198237.html Biology Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:17:42 EST news197198237 The pheromone that attracts female mice to the odour of a particular male has been identified. Named 'darcin' by researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology (after Darcy, the attractive hero in Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice"), this unusual protein in a male's urine attracts females and is responsible for learned preference for specific males. http://phys.org/news194726334.html Biology Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:39:33 EST news194726334 It remains one of the unresolved mysteries of the animal world: why do females change the way they look each season while males look the same all year round? Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who have been studying fashion trends for water fleas have found some of the answers. http://phys.org/news192105522.html Biology Mon, 03 May 2010 12:00:01 EST news192105522 These have the potential to influence a young viewing audience and their ideas about gender and violence. Her study is published in Springer's journal Sex Roles. http://phys.org/news191062308.html Other Sciences Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:20:01 EST news191062308 In 1871, Charles Darwin sparked debate that continues today when he proposed that human sex differences evolved based on sexual selection. Sexual selection is Darwin's theory that certain physical, mental or psychological traits evolved because they aid in competition among individuals for access to preferred mates or because they are enhancements of traits that help to attract mates. http://phys.org/news190389250.html Biology Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:10:01 EST news190389250 (PhysOrg.com) -- Male stick insects are becoming increasingly redundant, with new research showing some New Zealand female stick insects can reproduce as efficiently on their own as with a male mate. http://phys.org/news188674179.html Biology Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:50:01 EST news188674179 (PhysOrg.com) -- Dung beetles are among the few species in which the females are more impressively equipped with armor than males, and a new study explains why: the females fight each other for the best manure and breeding sites. http://phys.org/news186904227.html Biology Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:00:01 EST news186904227 When it comes to violent nonfiction, men are from Mars, the planet of war, but women are from Earth, the planet of serial killings and random murders. http://phys.org/news185550490.html Other Sciences Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:48:50 EST news185550490 (PhysOrg.com) -- On Valentine’s Day couples make a special effort to celebrate their relationships. But spare a thought for the so-called ‘desperate and dateless’ - those people who would like to have a partner but can’t find one. http://phys.org/news185120887.html Other Sciences Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:40:01 EST news185120887 (PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Queensland study has found that females who experience early puberty have increased levels of aggression. http://phys.org/news182420259.html Other Sciences Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:18:02 EST news182420259 (PhysOrg.com) -- With its flamboyantly decorated plumage, the peacock is a classic example of how males among many bird species are more visually eye-catching than their female partners. But new research, led by Columbia biologist Dustin Rubenstein, shows that, in some cases, females living in family groups are just as showy as males. The findings, which appear in the Dec. 10 issue of the journal Nature, shed new light on Darwin’s theory of sexual selection. http://phys.org/news180104802.html Biology Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:17:51 EST news180104802 (PhysOrg.com) -- Female birds in species that breed in groups can find themselves under pressure to sexually show off and evolve the same kinds of embellishments - like fanciful tail feathers or chest-puffing courtship dances - as males, according to new research in the latest issue of Nature (Dec. 10, 2009). http://phys.org/news179586770.html Biology Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:13:22 EST news179586770 Females can be too attractive to the opposite sex -- too attractive for their own good -- say biologists at UC Santa Barbara. They found that, among fruit flies, too much male attention directed toward attractive females leads to smaller families and, ultimately, to a reduced rate of population-wide adaptive evolution. http://phys.org/news179502397.html Biology Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:20:01 EST news179502397 "Why is it that men can be bastards and women must wear pearls and smile?" wrote author Lynn Hecht Schafran. The answer, according to an article in the Journal of Vision, may lie in our interpretation of facial expressions. http://phys.org/news179170846.html Medicine & Health Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:42:02 EST news179170846 The world's largest species of monkey 'chooses' mates with genes that are different from their own to guarantee healthy and strong offspring, according to a new research study. http://phys.org/news178315092.html Biology Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:59:12 EST news178315092 (PhysOrg.com) -- Males have more pronounced personalities than females across a range of species - from humans to house sparrows - according to new research. Consistent personality traits, such as aggression and daring, are also more important to females when looking for a mate than they are to males. Research from the University of Exeter draws together a range of studies to reveal the role that sexual selection plays in this disparity between males and females. http://phys.org/news177760776.html Biology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:00:46 EST news177760776 Mountain goats are no exception to the general rule among mammals that larger males sire more and healthier offspring. But University of Alberta researcher David Coltman has found a genetic quirk that might make female mountain goats think twice about their romantic partners. http://phys.org/news177692981.html Biology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:20:02 EST news177692981 (PhysOrg.com) -- Female water striders often reject their most persistent and aggressive suitors and prefer the males who aren't so grabby, according to new research. Water striders are insects commonly seen skittering across the surface of streams. http://phys.org/news176652474.html Biology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:08:45 EST news176652474 The great diversity of male sexual traits, ranging from peacock's elaborate train to formidable genitalia of male seed beetles, is the result of female choice. But why do females choose among males? In a new study published today in Current Biology, researchers from Uppsala University found no support for the theory that the female choice is connected to "good genes". http://phys.org/news175439685.html Biology Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:30:02 EST news175439685 The sperm of male fruit flies are coated with a chemical 'sex peptide' which inhibits the female's usual afternoon siesta and compels her into an intense period of foraging activity. http://phys.org/news173512654.html Biology Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:58:14 EST news173512654 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have found new evidence to explain how female insects can influence the father of their offspring, even after mating with up to ten males. A team from the University of Exeter has found that female crickets are able to control the amount of sperm that they store from each mate to select the best father for their young. http://phys.org/news171627059.html Biology Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:11:41 EST news171627059 (PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to potential mates, women may be as complicated as men claim they are, according to psychologists. http://phys.org/news170331327.html Medicine & Health Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:15:58 EST news170331327 (PhysOrg.com) -- How honest are males when using sexual displays to signal their eligibility to females? http://phys.org/news170079585.html Biology Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:20:25 EST news170079585 (PhysOrg.com) -- Attractive males release fewer sperm per mating to maximise their chances of producing offspring across a range of females, according to a new paper on the evolution of ejaculation strategies. The findings by researchers at UCL (University College London) and the University of Oxford suggest that, paradoxically, matings with attractive males may be less fertile than those with unattractive ones. http://phys.org/news166354811.html Biology Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:40:43 EST news166354811 Contrary to predictions, males of high genetic quality are not very successful when it comes to fertilizing eggs. A new study on seed beetles by Swedish and Danish scientists Göran Arnqvist and Trine Bilde shows that when a female mates with several males, the males of low genetic quality are the most successful in fertilizing eggs. The study is published in this week's issue of Science. http://phys.org/news165158293.html Biology Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:10:06 EST news165158293 Throughout the animal kingdom brilliant colors or elaborate behavioral displays serve as "advertisements" for attracting mates. But, what do the ads promise, and is there truth in advertizing? Researchers at Yale theorize that when males must provide care for the survival of their offspring, the males' signals will consistently be honest — and they may devote more of their energy to caring for their offspring than to being attractive. http://phys.org/news164539008.html Biology Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:18:28 EST news164539008 In order to increase their chances of reproductive success, male flies of the species Drosophila montana try to copulate for much longer than the females would like. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have shown that females engaged in extended intercourse wait longer before they mate again, increasing the first fly's chances of fathering offspring. http://phys.org/news163989479.html Biology Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:50:01 EST news163989479 In a study published in PLoS ONE June 10, Chang Seok Han and Piotr Jablonski at Seoul National University, Korea, report that by evolving a morphological shield to protect their genitalia from males' forceful copulatory attempts, females of an Asian species of water strider seem to "win" the evolutionary arms race between the sexes. Instead, females only expose their genitalia for copulation after males produce a courtship "song" by tapping the water surface. http://phys.org/news163938148.html Biology Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:22:49 EST news163938148