What The Duck?!

Sex comes at a cost, there’s energy, time, risks of predators, and diseases… so do we even need it?Asexual organisms don’t seem to miss the dating scene, and yet here we are putting a whole lot of energy into sex, even when it doesn't lead to babies when same sexes attract.Of course, sex is a chance to genetically repair faults and outrun threats, but is the pay-off really enough?Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom.Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.Featuring:Associate Professor Kevin Teather, Author, The Evolution of Sex.Assistant Professor Amanda Gibson, University of Virginia.Professor Joseph Heitman, Duke University.Professor Jenny Graves, La Trobe University.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / ProducerPetria Ladgrove, ProducerAdditional mastering: Isabella Tropiano.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

It turns out not everyone was listening when it was written ‘it takes two to tango’ and some species can go it alone in their quest to reproduce. And then there’s the plants that decided THREE or ONE was for them, never an even number. Why is sex so... suspiciously complicated? Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the natural world.Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.Featuring:Dr Meredith Lake, Presenter, Soul Search ABC Radio National.Dr Michael Whitehead, Evolutionary Ecologist. Libby Eyre, Biologist, Macquarie University.Associate Professor Andrew Durso, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida. Professor Michael Kearney,  University of Melbourne. Dr Christine Dudgeon, University of Queensland. Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / ProducerPetria Ladgrove, ProducerAdditional mastering: Isabella Tropiano.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

What is the role of pleasure in successful reproduction?Evolution says it's mightily important: every female vertebrate has a clitoris.Snakes have two!Female pleasure has been selected for.Making sex fun and pleasurable is a biologically sensible thing to do, more sex means more potential babies.Some studies of pigs and dairy cows have found an increase of up to 6% in successful conception when the females are stimulated during artificial insemination.Sex is Weird is a new series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom.Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.Featuring:Dr Bruno Buzatto, Flinders University, South Australia.Lynette Greenwood, Dairy farmer, Victoria.Associate Professor Andrew Durso, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida.Lucy Cooke, Author and Film maker.Associate Professor Patty Brennan, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, US.Emeritus Professor Susan Suarez, Cornell University, New York.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / ProducerPetria Ladgrove, ProducerAdditional mastering: Isabella Tropiano.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people

Do animals fall in love at first sight?Every species has different traits that are 'attractive' — they're showing off their DIY skills making a bower, vibrating sexy fruit fly songs, puffing up a wattle, or just having really massive moose… antlers.Is this innate attraction like falling in love or is it more like meeting a (really hot) investment advisor?Because these attractive traits are also messages about genes – who will make a good investment to partner with for the next generation.Of course, one species beauty is another's turn off, and some species have a very low bar (looking at you guppies), so Hot or Not could end up being a very individual thing.Sex is Weird is a new series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom.Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.Featuring:Dr Bruno Buzatto, Flinders University, South Australia.Nathan Finger, Bird of the Week podcast host.Jason Graham, Pacific black duck conservation group, Tasmania.Dr Victoria Austin, Western Sydney University.Professor Rob Brooks, University of New South Wales.Dr Judy Wang, Queensland Brain Institute.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / ProducerPetria Ladgrove, ProducerAdditional mastering: Isabella Tropiano.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

The energy required to grow, birth and raise young is intense, so it's only fair that the female body has some tricks to make sure reproducing is worth it.From cryptic choice to immune system sperm blockers, the female reproductive system can be a literal maze for those seeking to gain access to her eggs.In the battle of the sexes, this is females fight back.Sex is Weird is a new series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom.Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.Featuring:Professor Sarah Robertson, University of Adelaide.  Dr Diane Kelly, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.Associate Professor Patricia Brennan, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, US.Emeritus Professor Susan Suarez, Cornell University, New York.Professor Mariana Wolfner, Cornell University, New York.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

When it comes to sexual organs, the penis is really ‘out there.’  Name another organ that can change its form AND function in a matter of seconds! There’s a lot of variety in the animal kingdom; from spikes and nails to coils and collagen – so, this appendage is worth investigating... close up.  Sex is Weird is a new series of What the Duck?! With Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom.   Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended. Featuring: Dr Emily Willingham, biologist, journalist and author.  Dr Diane Kelly, Senior Research Fellow, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Associate Professor Andrew Durso, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida.  Associate Professor Patty Brennan, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, US. Dr Bruno Buzatto, Flinders University, South Australia.   Philippa Holm, HFR Performance Horses, Victoria. Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

When you really think about it, sex to make babies is WEIRD! You take an outie that has to get stuck inside an innie that links into a production line of eggs to assemble a perfect tiny being. It’s so damn complicated!So why does it work like that?Join us at What the Duck for the first episode of a new series where we figure out how living things went from splitting ourselves in half to double the population, to periodically feeling compelled to copulate in such a vigorous, sometimes highly embarrassing, manner.Earth - this is your sexual history!Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended. Featuring:Emeritus Professor David Siveter, University of Leicester, UK.Assistant Professor Emily Mitchell, University of Cambridge, UK and curator of non-insect invertebrates, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, UK.Dr Marissa Betts, geologist and palaeontologist at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia. Dr Emily Willingham, biologist, journalist and author.Associate Professor Patty Brennan, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, US. Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano.Thanks also to Will Ockenden, Belinda Smith, Corey Hague and Joel Werner. This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

How the duck did sex evolve as a major form of reproduction?Sex is Weird is a brand new series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones. From the evolution of the first-ever genitals and the strange methods that animals use to copulate, to the unbelievable ways that the female body responds to sex. So strap in and get ready for the ride of your life, you'll never think about sex the same way again!Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended. Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Russel Stapleton.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

Have the crabs been lying to us?They usually have ten legs and eyes on stalks, but there are all sorts of things hiding under the shell, including emotions. There are true crabs, false crabs, and even shame-faced crabs which implies that some of them, at least, are guilty.Featuring:Dr Rachael King, SA Museum. Professor Judith Weis, Rutgers University, Newark. Dr Annabel Dorrenstein, University of Western Sydney.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering:  Hamish Camilleri.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people and was first broadcast in September 2023.

Spiders have gravity-defying ninja skills, they can hear without ears and they work together to gang up on huge prey.Spiders are murder machines!Featuring:Dr Kate Umbers, Western Sydney University.Dr Alfonso Aceves-Aparicio, University Hamburg.Dr Jay Stafstrom, Cornell University.Dr Lena Grinsted, University of Portsmouth.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Joel Werner, Script Editor. Additional mastering: Angela Grant. This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people and was first broadcast on the 17th of December 2022.