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Human reproduction

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science

Astronomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Complexity Computing and artificial intelligence Cosmology Deep time Earth science and climate Ecology and environmental sciences Engineering Evolution Genetics History of science Human evolution Human reproduction Illness and disease Mathematics Medicine Oceans and water Palaeontology Physics Quantum theory Space exploration

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Newborn baby being held by a person wearing blue gloves, with another masked individual looking at the baby in a medical setting.

essayHuman reproduction

Baby talk

When babies are born, they cry in the accent of their mother tongue: how does language begin in the womb?

Darshana Narayanan

Two embryos, colourised in shades of pink, orange, and purple, against a black background. The embryos have distinguishable head, body, and tail regions.

essayBiology

Building embryos

For 3,000 years, humans have struggled to understand the embryo. Now there is a revolution underway

John Wallingford

Close-up of a kiwi bird with a long beak and shaggy brown feathers, standing against a white background.

essayHuman evolution

How like the kiwi we are

To understand helpless human babies, our big brains and oddly involved dads, look to the evolution of birds not mammals

Antone Martinho-Truswell

Ancient stone ruins with columns and a carved pillar in the foreground, set against a mountainous backdrop under a clear sky.

essayHistory of ideas

Aristotle on making babies

He was the first great observer of nature. But his theory of human reproduction was deeply sexist – and enduring

Emily Thomas

A man who is Muhammad Ali holding a baby girl in his arms, looking up at the child, set against a sunny, outdoor background with people nearby.

essayFamily life

The biology of dads

The bodies and brains of fathers, not just mothers, are transformed through the love and labour of raising a child

James K Rilling

Illustration of a human embryo in the womb, showcasing detailed features, a surrounding amniotic sac and connection to the uterine wall.

ideaHuman reproduction

Is artificial-womb technology a tool for women’s liberation?

Sasha Isaac

A gloved hand using a scalpel to cut into a peach half on a pink background and surface.

videoSex and sexuality

Period drama: one woman’s journey through birth control

5 minutes

A scanning electron microscope image showing pollen tubes in vivid pink growing from pollen grains of cucumber on the stigma.

essayHuman reproduction

The macho sperm myth

The idea that millions of sperm are on an Olympian race to reach the egg is yet another male fantasy of human reproduction

Robert D Martin

ideaBioethics

Why uterus transplants are a bad idea for women

Sharrona Pearl

Black and white photo of a woman and a sleeping child in her arms in a moving car, taken from the side showing their upper bodies.

essayHuman reproduction

We are multitudes

Women are chimeras, with genetic material from both their parents and children. Where does that leave individual identity?

Katherine Rowland

Abstract stone sculpture of two human figures with simplified features having sex.

essayHuman evolution

Sex makes babies

As far as we can tell, no other animal knows this. Did our understanding of baby-making change the course of human history?

Holly Dunsworth & Anne Buchanan

Close-up photo of a pregnant belly with hands gently cradling it. The background is dark.

essayMetaphysics

Bun or bump?

Does the mother contain the foetus or is it a part of her? On the metaphysics of pregnancy, and its ethical implications

Suki Finn

A blond man in an apron feeding two young children at a table. One child is rubbing her eyes, the other is in a highchair.

essayFamily life

Latte pappas

Sweden’s hands-on dads represent an alternative male form forged by lowered testosterone and the potent hormones of attachment

Richard W Orange

A pregnant woman in a blue patterned dress and cream cardigan, standing outdoors holding her belly with both hands.

ideaHuman reproduction

Can surrogacy ever escape the taint of global exploitation?

Katharine Dow

A boy in a striped jumper and a girl in a purple jacket holding a picture of two newborn babies wrapped in blankets.

essayHuman reproduction

The twin boom

The proportion of twins in the population has waxed and waned in human history. For the first time we understand why

Laura Spinney

Small, pink baby shoes with white floral embroidery placed on a striped fabric background.

essayDeath

Nadia’s story

It is a decision that no parent should have to make: should we let our very sick baby die before she is born?

Ana Todorović

A young child in a blue outfit, smiling and running along a beach by the sea on a cloudy day.

videoWellbeing

Juniper was born dangerously premature. What was it that made her keep going?

6 minutes

A baby sleeping in a wooden drawer, covered with a white blanket, and a hand gently touching the baby’s head.

essayFamily life

Is that my baby?

Sperm donation is socially acceptable but donor eggs still provoke a wave of unease about blood relations and motherhood

Amy Klein

Microscopic cells labelled with “viable” and various letters. Date stamped 27/10/2008, time 09:07.

videoBiology

New research helps predict which human embryos are most likely to succeed

4 minutes

Five boys in white medical gowns and green surgical caps sitting on a sofa against a plain wall, looking at the camera.

essayBioethics

Boys and girls alike

An un-consenting child, an unnecessary, invasive surgery: is there any moral difference between male and female circumcision?

Brian D Earp

A pregnant woman in a white shirt resting her hand on her belly, lying on a colourful quilt.

essayFamily life

Fertility fog

Women in their 30s and 40s exhibit a mix of wishful thinking and woeful ignorance when it comes to their fertility. Why?

Amy Klein

Illustration of a blond superhero in blue and yellow flying with fists forward, medieval castle and hills in the background.

essayHuman reproduction

The first cut

Most American boys are circumcised as a matter of course. Now, many of them feel violated. Should the practice be banned?

Rhys Southan

A healthcare worker examining a child, with the child being held by an adult woman in a clinical setting.

essayPublic health

Polio whack-a-mole

The great allies of infectious diseases are no longer poverty, nor dirt, but the global anti-vaccination movement

Keren Landsman

Microscope image of yellow sperm cells with long tails on a black background.

essayHuman reproduction

Where’s the male Pill?

Many promising male contraceptives are in development, but none have come to market. What’s taking so long?

Jalees Rehman