--- title: Scientists Discover First Sex Act description: Ancient fish were the first to copulate. And according to a world renowned paleontologist, it looked a lot like square dancing canonical: https://time.com/3528344/scientists-fish-sex-square-dance/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-21T14:18:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:13:55.569Z og:title: Scientists Have Identified the First Sexual Act on Earth og:description: And it looked a lot like square dancing og:url: https://time.com/3528344/scientists-fish-sex-square-dance/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5200e69b15666b36/698761fd8e06015201457d45/screen-shot-2014-10-21-at-9-10-08-am.png?branch=production&width=609&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 609 og:image:height: 343 og:image:alt: Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 9.10.08 AM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scientists Have Identified the First Sexual Act on Earth twitter:description: And it looked a lot like square dancing twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5200e69b15666b36/698761fd8e06015201457d45/screen-shot-2014-10-21-at-9-10-08-am.png?branch=production&width=609&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Scientists Trace Back the First Sexual Act Ever, to Weird Ancient Fish > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=03b70193-fc59-417e-9053-d08567768518&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=03b70193-fc59-417e-9053-d08567768518&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=03b70193-fc59-417e-9053-d08567768518&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 21, 2014 2:18 PM UTC  YouTube by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 21, 2014 2:18 PM UTC Scientists have discovered the origins of sex, and like anyone’s first time it sounds pretty awkward. Now light some candles and let’s set the scene: The first act of copulation occurred in the nippy Scottish sea some 385 million years ago. The fornicators in question were a set of primitive jawed, bony fish aptly called _Microbrachius dicki_. The dirty details? Well, [according to Australian paleontologist John Long](http://blogs.flinders.edu.au/flinders-news/2014/10/20/flinders-scientist-discovers-origins-of-sex), “With their arms interlocked, these fish looked more like they are square dancing the do-se-do rather than mating.” Not only had scientists previously thought that the first sex act occurred on land at a later date, but Long [says](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/20/scientists-discover-the-kinda-disgusting-origins-of-sex), “We didn’t expect these little suckers to have reproductive organs.” But the _M. Dicki_ were endowed, as is explained by Long and his colleagues in a paper that was published in [_Nature_](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13825.html) Monday. Although their genitalia are not described in romantic terms. Long, a professor at Flinders University, explained to the [_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29661446)that the fish’s arms linked them together, “so the male can get this large L-shaped sexual organ into position to dock with the female’s genital plates, which are very rough like cheese graters. They act like Velcro, locking the male organ into position to transfer sperm.” This is also the first species that displayed a different appearance between the male and female. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3528344/scientists-fish-sex-square-dance/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3528344/scientists-fish-sex-square-dance/"},"headline":"Scientists Trace Back the First Sexual Act Ever, to Weird Ancient Fish","datePublished":"2014-10-21T14:18:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:13:55.569Z","description":"Ancient fish were the first to copulate. And according to a world renowned paleontologist, it looked a lot like square dancing","url":"https://time.com/3528344/scientists-fish-sex-square-dance/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals","Sex","Studies","Evolution"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5200e69b15666b36/698761fd8e06015201457d45/screen-shot-2014-10-21-at-9-10-08-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5200e69b15666b36/698761fd8e06015201457d45/screen-shot-2014-10-21-at-9-10-08-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 9.10.08 AM","caption":"","creditText":"YouTube","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3528344/scientists-fish-sex-square-dance/","name":"Scientists Trace Back the First Sexual Act Ever, to Weird Ancient Fish"}}]}] ```