The story of Ohh! For men it is quick, easy and essential for reproduction. For women, it is slow, difficult and purely for pleasure. Yet despite such differences, it brings the sexes together and is the basis of the monogamy that distinguishes us from other animals. In his new book, Jonathan Margolis examines the phenomenon of the orgasm
posted by Postroad on May 2, 2004 - 74 comments

We will create a cybernetic race of robo-monkeys. [via Washington Post]
posted by gwong on Oct 13, 2003 - 34 comments

The Twisted Path of Stick Insect Evolution Challenges the Theory of Evolution
Sort of... In an article on the cover of today's Nature, research on the evolution of stick insects is announced. But depending on the news source, this is either a strong challenge to the theory of evolution, or a mild revision. So who's right?
posted by rschram on Jan 16, 2003 - 48 comments

Mantophasmatodea! No, it's not some new sex position, it's a new order of insect life, the first one thus defined since 1914.
posted by WolfDaddy on Apr 19, 2002 - 10 comments

We're finding new fauna in some of the most heavily-populated areas on earth. It sort of makes you wonder what how many species we never even know about as we slash and burn great hunks of the rain forests, wooded areas, and other biodiverse areas of the world. (And good grief, those bugs are huge!)
posted by mrmanley on Apr 5, 2002 - 9 comments

Bug Dicks.
posted by brownpau on Nov 2, 2001 - 11 comments

"There are only a few hundred genes that we have in the human genome that are not in the mouse genome," says Craig Venter, chief scientific officer at Celera Genomics. Information on the human genome released today reveals that there are far fewer genes than first thought - humans only have double the amount that worms and flies do. [more inside...]
posted by hijinx on Feb 11, 2001 - 6 comments

Mutants with 4-colour vision! And you thought the magnetic kid was just the beginning...
posted by hobbes on Nov 28, 2000 - 22 comments

Sigh. Apparently it's cruelty when humans hunt and eat "animals," but not when other "animals" do it to each other. (Basic biology flashback: humans are animals!) This is what happens when a species supersaturates its environment. Biological imperative begins to collapse and such furiously futile exercises as "pro-rat protests" are perpetrated in the name of something called ethics (not to mention free publicity).
posted by highindustrial on Jun 17, 2000 - 17 comments

Human Evolution Will the next significant steps be biological, technical or both?
posted by PaperCut on Jun 6, 2000 - 12 comments