Sexing in plants and animals refers to methodological procedures used to determine the phenotypic or genotypic sex of individuals for research, breeding, or management purposes. Approaches range from morphological assessment of sexual dimorphism (e.g., genitalia, secondary sexual characteristics, flower morphology) to cytogenetic and molecular techniques that detect sex chromosomes or sex-linked markers, such as PCR-based assays, karyotyping, or quantitative PCR of sex-specific genes. In early developmental stages or sexually monomorphic species, sexing often relies on invasive or noninvasive sampling (blood, tissue, feathers, leaf tissue) followed by DNA-based tests, which provide high accuracy and are widely used in conservation, livestock production, aquaculture, and plant breeding programs.
NC State University entomologist Maxwell Scott is among a handful of people worldwide with the most thorough understanding of the genetics and life cycle of the New World screwworm, a blowfly that lays its eggs in wounds ...
Agriculture
Jun 11, 2026
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11
For more than a decade, conservation biologist Steve Boyes searched for "ghost elephants"—nocturnal giants rumored to roam a remote, high-altitude wetland in eastern Angola. When a motion-sensor camera finally captured their ...
Plants & Animals
May 9, 2026
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317
Eggs and poultry provide important sources of protein globally, driving a major industry with large economic impacts. Challenges to hatchery operations include embryo mortality, fertility, sex determination, and eggshell ...
Biotechnology
Apr 28, 2026
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17
Researchers at University College Dublin have identified a genetic "switch" that determines the sex of cannabis plants, and found the same system may exist in hops. The study, published in New Phytologist, pinpoints a specific ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 27, 2026
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183
Using new genetic markers, fruit breeders can now tell whether grapes will be seedless and self-pollinating even years before vines bear fruit. The approach will save time and resources in the pursuit of creating flavorful ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 8, 2026
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21
A new study by Harvard biologists reveals how octopuses feel their way to potential mates with a "taste by touch" sensory system and can even couple at arm's length without actually seeing each other. In a study featured ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 2, 2026
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69
Monitoring the populations of one of nature's slower creatures could become faster, thanks to the University of Georgia. UGA researchers have developed an easier, more cost-effective way to learn more about male marine turtles, ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 18, 2026
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17
Humans like plants. We like seeing them change the color of their leaves throughout the year. They connect us to nature even if we live in a big city. But most people don't think that much about the lives of plants, and least ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 5, 2026
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29
Researchers have developed a new "color-coded" genetic method that makes it easy to distinguish male and female mosquitoes. This innovation can help solve a major bottleneck in mosquito control strategies that rely on releasing ...
Biotechnology
Dec 17, 2025
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37
Male bonobos can decipher females' unreliable fertility signals, allowing them to focus their efforts on matings with the highest chance of conception, according to a study by Heungjin Ryu at Kyoto University, Japan, and ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 9, 2025
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30
