Tag Archives: Reproduction

The bacterium Escherichia can reproduce sexually using viral DNA.

By | October 2th 2026
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Escherichia coli under the microscope. Credits: Manfred Rohde, HZI Center for Infection Research

Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have discovered that Escherichia coli, under starvation stress, can use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity to transfer DNA and integrate it into its own genome. This accelerates genetic recombination. The process resembles a primitive form of sexual reproduction and could help bacterial populations adapt to changing conditions. The results were published in… Read more »

Greater mouse-eared bat: The males court a female together

By | June 24, 2025
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Credits: Dietmar Nill, batermausschutz.de

Male greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis), the largest native bat species, compete for the favor of females – with complex vocalizations and considerable patience. A new study by the Museum für Naturkunde provides comprehensive insights into the mating behavior of these bats and shows that the greater mouse-eared bat exhibits a lek mating system, a feature rarely described in bats. This system involves… Read more »

Inheritance: Dog roses follow their own rules when reproducing

By | June 20, 2025
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Credits: André Marques

A Czech-German research team led by Dr. André Marques from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Prof. Dr. Christiane Ritz from the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz, and Dr. Aleš Kovačík from the Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences has achieved a significant breakthrough in the study of dog rose reproduction. The study shows how differences in… Read more »

Bizarre reproduction of a bizarre water worm: Researchers explain it

By | May 20
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Credits: Maria Teresa Aguado and Guillermo Ponz-Segrelles

Researchers have uncovered the genetic basis of one of the ocean's most bizarre animals: the branched worm Ramisyllis kingghidorahi, found in tropical waters, lives hidden inside a sponge and reproduces in an extraordinary way. Each end of its body produces its own reproductive units, which detach and swim away to mate. How is this complex mechanism distributed across the many branches of the body… Read more »

Newly discovered DNA marker regulates sperm development in male plants

By | April 14, 2025
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Male liverwort_ Credits: ISTA

Could it be that one of only three known markers that directly target DNA doesn't exist outside the microbial realm? Researchers led by Xiaoqi Feng at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have now demonstrated that this marker – N4-methylcytosine (4mC) – is essential for sperm development and maturation in liverwort… Read more »

Vinegar fly: Alcoholic males are more attractive to females

By | April 3, 2025
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Credits: Anna Schroll, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

A research team from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology has shown that alcohol in food increases the production of sex pheromones in male black-bellied fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), making them more attractive to females. Male flies are therefore strongly attracted to alcohol, especially when they are still unmated. Three different neural circuits in the flies' brains control this response when… Read more »

Ruff: Super enzyme breaks down testosterone immediately

By | January 24, 2025
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Credits: Axel Griesch, MPI for Biological Intelligence

In the animal kingdom, we associate high testosterone levels with male dominance and aggression. However, among ruffs, there are males for whom too much testosterone is detrimental. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in cooperation with an international team, have now shown how these males get rid of the sex hormone: They produce a super-enzyme in their blood that rapidly breaks down testosterone. The study thus demonstrates… Read more »