Genetic diversity is essential to the survival of a species. It's easy enough to maintain if a species reproduces sexually; an egg and a sperm combine genetic material from two creatures into one, ...

In the course of evolution, animals have repeatedly shifted from sexual to asexual reproduction. The first evidence of the consequences of parthenogenesis – a type of asexual reproduction – on genome ...

In the framework of an international research project, a team of scientists have demonstrated for the first time that asexual reproduction can be successful in the long term. The animal they studied ...

The California condor is one of the rarest birds in the world, but now it seems that nature is giving it an unexpected leg-up. Scientists have discovered two condor chicks that were born from ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Bdelloid rotifers are ancient, asexual, oddballs. The teeny-tiny ...

The common fruit fly normally needs a mate to reproduce. But scientists tinkering with its genes found the ones that can induce parthenogenesis, or virgin birth. For the first time, scientists ...

Stick insects that reproduce asexually cannot adapt as quickly in the course of evolution as sexually reproducing species, leading to a decrease in biological diversity, according to new research. An ...

Sex is one of the greatest mysteries in biology. Why on earth do most large complex animals have two sexes? Asexual reproduction can efficiently produce twice as many offspring as sexual reproduction ...

Sexual reproduction implies high costs, but it is difficult to give evidence for evolutionary advantages that would explain the predominance of meiotic sex in eukaryotes. A combinational theory ...

While scientists have previously observed “virgin births” in vertebrates such as sharks, rays and reptiles – a reproductive strategy thought to aid survival during periods of isolation – this is the ...