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.
Paleontologists have long wrestled with the challenge of identifying the genders of dinosaurs from the fossils they leave behind. Once the soft tissues like reproductive organs have decayed away, distinguishing a male from ...
In 2019, a group of researchers in Japan published a study that promised the potential to revolutionize sex selection for scientists, farmers, and potentially even human fertility treatments.
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 16, 2025
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101
Scientists at Virginia Tech may have just made it easier to fight the world's deadliest animal: the mosquito. Only female mosquitoes bite because they need nutrients from blood to develop eggs. That drive makes them dangerous, ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 24, 2025
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74
A lab study on crickets has revealed sex differences in how the insects direct their nutritional resources to increase chances of generating offspring, finding that females prepare for producing eggs while males prioritize ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 24, 2025
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13
Researchers from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics have developed a technique that uses infrared light and machine learning to reveal ...
Biotechnology
Sep 4, 2025
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23
In 1871, Charles Darwin introduced his theory of sexual selection by female choice in The Descent of Man. He suggested females of a species would exhibit a preference for beauty and ornamentation when choosing mates, leading ...
Evolution
Aug 18, 2025
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27
Researchers from the UAB have shown that sex hormones accumulate in the skin of sharks. This finding opens a new way for the evaluation of their reproductive status by the biopsy of a sample that can be taken remotely in ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 19, 2025
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