Biologists like to say that reproduction is the ultimate investment, a costly gamble that shapes everything from lifespan to ...

Epaulette shark remain 'remarkably stable' throughout a reproduction process.

Epaulette sharks can reproduce without any measurable increase in energy use, stunning researchers who expected egg-laying to ...

Scientists have pinpointed the 'pace' and 'shape' of life as the two key elements in animal life cycles that affect how different species get by in the world. The findings have important implications ...

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide expert advice on some of the most pressing challenges facing the nation and world. Our ...

Classical demographic theory was developed to describe age-classified populations, in which knowledge of an individual's age accurately specifies its demographic state. In many species (e.g., plants, ...

There are two basic life-cycle patterns among animals. Many animals have complex life cycles with two or more very distinct stages; metamorphosis is the usual term for the often-radical changes that ...

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide expert advice on some of the most pressing challenges facing the nation and world. Our ...