Human sexuality

Kate Klein: There’s this, like, whole world underneath people’s clothing that no one talks about.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism bysubscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Sari van Anders: Our science, in some ways..., is sort of, like, catching up with people’s existences.Meghan McDonough: I’m Meghan McDonough, and you’re…

On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism bysubscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Kate Klein: There’s this, like, whole world underneath people’s clothing that no one talks about.Sari van Anders: Our science, in some ways..., is sort of, like, catching up with people’s existences.Meghan McDonough: I’m Meghan McDonough, and you’re…

The far right’s anti-LGBTQ crusade, especially its newfound laser-like attention on trans hate, is booming on some of the most popular social media platforms. According to a new report from an LGBTQ advocacy group finds that these platforms are getting better at supporting the queer community, but it’s not nearly good enough.Twitter Verification is a Hot MessThe Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) released its latest report about social media sites Thursday, and none did very well. The five biggest social…

Target has caved to anti-LGBTQIA+ groups online and removed some items and entire displays for its annual Pride month merchandise sale. The move comes after a wave of far-right online groups spread a wave of misinformation on social media in misleading and outright false videos claiming the superstore chain was somehow promoting trans operations for minors through childrens’ bathing suits. How To Remove Followers From TwitterTarget hosts an annual Pride month sale, which this year began in May and was supposed to last…

Scientists are making a provocative case in a new paper out this month: Sex in space is going to happen sooner rather than later, and it’s about time people started preparing for it. They contend that space sex could happen even within the next decade. The industry needs to discuss how to handle the issue now, they argue, including studying any potential risks that space could have on related matters like conception.Three Astronauts May Be Stranded on the ISS After Disturbing Soyuz Coolant LeakThe team’s argument was…

Photo: Peter Macdiarmid / Staff (Getty Images)In a witch hunt to out gay priests, a conservative Catholic nonprofit in Denver has poured $4 million into buying data it claims is primarily sourced from Grindr and other gay dating apps, according to the Washington Post.The group, Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal, claims to have purchased location and usage data from apps including Grindr as well as Growlr, Scruff, Jack’da and even OkCupid from 2018 to 2021. Cross-referencing that information with church residences…

Image: Tada Images (Shutterstock)The vetting process on dating apps may become more stringent as governments around the world look at perhaps implementing mandatory background and ID checks for those who use the apps. Strategies and considerations of how to better protect people searching for love online were discussed at roundtable talks in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday. Ministers, victim-survivors, tech companies, and authorities met in what is quickly becoming the latest move in online security. Representatives for…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)It’s not a proper list of weird medical tales without someone getting something stuck in their butt, and this year is no exception. In July, doctors in India detailed a case in whicha 50-year-old man had inserted a water bottle into his rectum. The bottle, which apparently contained 250 milliliters of water, was stuck up there for three days before his wife brought him to the emergency room, during which time the man developed abdominal pain and was unable to defecate. “Because of his…

Photo: Darren McCollester (Getty Images)Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) proposed a bill on Tuesday that, if passed, would redefine what obscenity means nationwide, which could effectively decimate the porn industry. The Utah Republican filed the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA) based on the Communications Act of 1934, and stated in the IODAthat “obscenity is not protected speech under the First Amendment and is prohibited from interstate or foreign transmission under U.S. law.”He continued, “But obscenity is difficult to…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)The Food and Drug Administration is about to lift a blanket restriction on gay and bisexual men donating blood, according to a report out Wednesday inthe Wall Street Journal. The agency is reportedly planning to adopt a more individualized criteria for its screening process, one that will allow currently monogamous men who have sex with men to donate regularly.For more than three decades, the FDA has set harsh restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood and tissue. The original…