Related topics: offspring , mating , males
Female
hideFemale (♀) is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces mobile ova (egg cells). The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male. A female individual cannot reproduce sexually without access to the gametes of a male (an exception is parthenogenesis). Some organisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually.
There is no single genetic mechanism behind sex differences in different species and the existence of two sexes seems to have evolved multiple times independently in different evolutionary lineages. Other than the defining difference in the type of gamete produced, differences between males and females in one lineage cannot always be predicted by differences in another. The concept is not limited to animals; egg cells are produced by chytrids, diatoms, water moulds and land plants, among others. In land plants, female and male designate not only the egg- and sperm-producing organisms and structures, but also the structures of the sporophytes that give rise to male and female plants.
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News tagged with females
Biologist Shows Female Birds of a Feather Compete Together
Dec 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- With its flamboyantly decorated plumage, the peacock is a classic example of how males among many bird species are more visually eye-catching than their female partners. But new research, ...
Female birds -- acting just like the guys -- become sexual show-offs in cooperative breeding species
Dec 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Female birds in species that breed in groups can find themselves under pressure to sexually show off and evolve the same kinds of embellishments - like fanciful tail feathers or chest-puffing ...
Scientists show that female fruit flies can be 'too attractive' to males
Dec 08, 2009 |
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Females can be too attractive to the opposite sex -- too attractive for their own good -- say biologists at UC Santa Barbara. They found that, among fruit flies, too much male attention directed toward attractive ...
Are angry women more like men?
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 04, 2009 |
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"Why is it that men can be bastards and women must wear pearls and smile?" wrote author Lynn Hecht Schafran. The answer, according to an article in the Journal of Vision, may lie in our interpretation of facial expressions.
Search results for females
Researchers reveal secrets of duck sex: It's all screwed up
Dec 23, 2009 |
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Female ducks have evolved an intriguing way to avoid becoming impregnated by undesirable but aggressive males endowed with large corkscrew-shaped penises: vaginas with clockwise spirals that thwart oppositely ...
Meddling in mosquitoes' sex lives could help stop the spread of malaria, says study
Dec 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Stopping male mosquitoes from sealing their sperm inside females with a 'mating plug' could prevent mosquitoes from reproducing, and offer a potential new way to combat malaria, say scientists ...
Growing evidence suggests progesterone should be considered a treatment option for traumatic brain injuries
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, recommend that progesterone (PROG), a naturally occurring hormone found in both males and females that can protect damaged cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems, ...
Brooding fishes take up nutrients from their own children
Dec 08, 2009 |
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In the pipefish, the male cares for the offspring. Apart from the ones he sucks the life out of. The discovery of filial cannibalism in the pipefish is now creating a stir in the research world.
Researchers study psychological impact of casual sex
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 08, 2009 |
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University of Minnesota Project Eating Among Teens (EAT) researchers have found that young adults engaging in casual sexual encounters do not appear to be at increased risk for harmful psychological outcomes as compared to ...
Some birds listen, instead of look, for mates
Dec 02, 2009 |
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Looks can be deceiving, but certain bird species have figured out that a voice can tell them most of what they need to know to find the right mate.
Exposure to young triggers new neuron creation in females exhibiting maternal behavior
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 17, 2009 |
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Maternal behavior itself can trigger the development of new neurons in the maternal brain independent of whether the female was pregnant or has nursed, according to a study released by researchers at Tufts University's Cummings ...
Study reveals the paths of Ontario secondary students to their post-secondary destinations
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Dec 03, 2009 |
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A new study by researchers at Queen's University looking at the transitions young people make from secondary school to university, college, apprenticeship and the workplace found that over 60 percent of first-year college ...
National survey tracks rates of common mental disorders among American youth
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 14, 2009 |
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Only about half of American children and teenagers who have certain mental disorders receive professional services, according to a nationally representative survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health ...
Small Fingers More Touch Sensitive
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 16, 2009 |
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When it comes to finger sensitivity, bigger isn't always better.
List of search results for females
