Animals use pheromones as chemical messengers to attract a mate or mark territory. But human sweat is very different.
- Scientia Professor of Evolution, UNSW
Want a deeper voice to sound more ‘manly’?
Why faking it might appeal to other men, but not women.
The future of artificial intelligence might not be as much a story about engineering as a story about evolution.
The University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor, who has died aged 52, was driven by a deep love of science and a desire to safeguard the planet’s future.
Wellness culture is an intoxicating cocktail, blending evolved social preferences for health, fertility and social status with the signalling power of social media.
Beaucoup d’entre nous sommes esclaves de nos téléphones, incapables de se déconnecter complètement. Le prix à payer est le manque de sommeil, de moins bonnes relations et des troubles de l’humeur.
Usar un teléfono inteligente no es muy diferente a tener piojos: tiene un coste.
Many of us are hostage to our phones – and it’s not unlike having head lice.
Evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks talks to The Conversation Weekly about AI’s potential to influence our evolution.
Evolution could alter or even eliminate some of the human traits we cherish most, changing forever what it means to be human.
Even OpenAI is worried about people developing intimate relationships with the new human-like version of its language model-cum-chatbot. But it should have known the risks.
The sudden removal of ‘erotic’ features from the virtual friend app has left lovelorn users high and dry.
Each year, more and more people are looking to dating apps to find a partner. And a trove of data from these users is finally revealing what men and women really want.
The age of ‘artificial intimacy’ is upon us. What does it mean for the way we love, have sex and build friendships?
If both people like and trust each other enough to kiss, the good shared feelings they get makes them more likely to stay together.
According to this theory, our social and political views can be impacted not only by the sex of our children, but also whether we have more male or female relatives.
DNA evidence from the Himba society in Namibia overturns ideas about genetic paternity, and about what it means to be a father.
Trust Me, I’m An Expert: Competition
The Conversation, CC BY62.4 MB (download)
Our November episode of Trust Me I'm An Expert is all about competition, including the often fierce rivalry between siblings.
Everything from the curious to the serious
The Conversation, CC BY-ND4.16 MB (download)
A new monthly podcast from The Conversation, where we bring you the most fascinating, surprising stories from the academic world.
Talks begin today at the United Nations to negotiate a total ban of nuclear weapons. Over 3,600 scientists have signed an open letter supporting the ban.
Every one of us is vulnerable to thinking that the ideas we hold dear are reasoned or principled positions. But how many of our ideas are adopted and defended as part of our tribal identity?
Sydney’s Daily Telegraph is suffering one of their frequent relapses into frothy-mouthed panic about government wastage on research grants.
Le Lac des cygnes ballet - Jean-Paul Andreani and Claire Motte performing on stage at Opera de Paris, France, 1960. Photograph by Christjeudi10 Wikimedia Commons.
Move over Nate Silver! The statistician and author of The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - But Some Don’t may have called 49 out of 50 states right in the 2012 US Presidential election…
Introduce me to an opponent of same-sex marriage and I will show you a married person. Or someone whose bucket list has “Get Married” right at the very top. The paradox would be delectable if its consequences…
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