THE SCIENCE OF SEX
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEX
Reproduction has a long and convoluted evolutionary history. From bacteria swapping genetic material under ultraviolet light, through to the bizarre mating practices of hermaphrodite slugs, Dorion Sagan traces a path through the history of sex.
INTERSEX
We think in terms of 'male' and 'female', but gender doesn't stop there. Up to a whopping 2 per cent of people have some form of intersexual features, from mixed chromosomes to ambiguous genitalia. Some people don't even know they're intersexual. David Salt asks why society and science struggle to understand the spectrum between the sexes.
PLAGUE OF MEN
Modernisation was supposed to slow the preference in developing nations for male children, but the reverse has occurred. As the male to female imbalance grows ever greater, will future wars be fought over women? Elizabeth Finkel investigates.
SEXUAL CHEMISTRY 101
Finding the perfect match can be a lifelong challenge. So why not let science help you out? Benjamin 'Dr Love' Lester takes you through the top ten science tips to attract the opposite sex.
CONFRONTING THE QUANTUM ENIGMA
Quantum mechanics is weird. But it's also our best description of reality at a sub-atomic level. If that's the case, then maybe it's our perception that is off the track. Julian Brown looks at some of the curlier quantum conundrums to see whether it's really us that are weird.
MONKEY MELODRAMA
Capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica love, fight, form coalitions, betray their friends, and generally carry on like a daytime soap. Vanessa Woods delves into the depths of the jungle and finds the lines between observed and observer are uncannily blurred.
Ian Osterloh was as surprised as anyone when his research on a potential treatment for heart disease revealed a side effect that sparked a sexual health revolution. Here, he describes the trials and tribulations of pharmaceutical development.
'Biotech artists' are drawing inspiration – and even materials – from both life and the laboratory.
The origins and role of the kiss in human relations remain a hotly controversial topic in science.
While society tells us we will find 'the one' and settle down for life, biology suggests that fidelity doesn't always come naturally.
It may be just another unpleasant sexually transmitted bug, but this protozoan parasite packs a surprisingly lengthy genome.
If they hadn't been wiped out in a global catastrophe 65 million years ago, could dinosaurs have evolved intelligence?
The search is on for a place to store the world's nuclear waste, and it looks like the best option might be underground – down under.
A 'mere' 2.5 million lights years away from our own Milky Way, Andromeda, our galactic neighbour, has yielded fascinating insights into the nature of the Universe, and continues to deliver surprises to this day.
While Apollo 11 was carrying the first humans to the moon's surface amid intense public interest, another lower profile NASA mission was testing the endurance of aquanauts far below the waves.
Computers might be great at processing data, but they still can't grasp meaning. That might be about to change…
It's the world's northernmost research station and one of the most remote outposts of science. Peter Calamai dons his Michelin Man outfit to sample the science at Eureka.
Reflections on life, the universe and everything.
Letters, and new from the Cosmos team.
Short science bites for a fast read.
The science of running shoes.
"Dogs of war" by Bruce Carlson.
Reviews of books and DVDs.
Many men like fixing cars. Lots of women like talking to friends. Simon Baron-Cohen puts forward a new theory that sheds light on the nature/nurture debate.
