While the magazine has closed, its living archive endures—open to all and preserving the many ideas, voices, and discoveries that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.
Cultures around the world fear unrequited love. One strategy to avoid the pain of rejection might be to spread your love around—but does that work?
Watching Ancient Hominins Giving BirthThe human birthing process is more difficult than that of any other primate. One researcher is using bones and computers to figure out why—and what to do about it.
The Moral Code of Chinese Sex WorkersA researcher immersed herself in the “sisterhood” of China’s female sex trade—and came away with an appreciation of its rules of conduct.
Nature’s Most Creative CopulatorsWhy have humans taken mammalian sex to a whole new level?
The Sexual Allure of SimplicityIs the return to a simple life a “new” way to advertise our good qualities? An evolutionary perspective says yes.
When Did Sex Become Fun?Sexual reproduction has been around for 2 billion years. But when did sex for pleasure arise? And how much did penises have to do with it?
Between Male and FemaleCan television shows like Orange Is the New Black and Faking It push forensic anthropologists—and the rest of us—to rethink our categories of biological sex?
Labor Pains and Helpless Infants: Eve or Evolution? (Part 2)Anthropologists often use an idea called the “obstetrical dilemma” to explain why humans have helpless infants, but there is mounting evidence that this explanation is insufficient. Part II.
Skeleton Sex PotsAn unusual container produced by the Moche civilization of Peru raises many questions about their society—and our own views of sex.
Surprise! Semen Is RequiredHow putting a tiny pair of pants on an 18th-century frog was one step on the long road to solving the puzzle of reproduction.
