In recent years some animals that she became pregnant without mating We hear the news, right? This situation seems to ignore the laws of nature.

Agree, “virgin births” How is it possible and why does it happen more often?

Some scientists have suggested that this pregnancy may be the result of a phenomenon called parthenogenesis.

Parthenogenesis is the development of an egg cell by a sperm. to become an embryo without fertilization It means. The process is especially common in insects, but less common in vertebrates.

Since the great hammerhead shark gave birth in captivity in 2001, in sharks and reptiles More cases have been reported.

Although scientists do not fully understand why parthenogenesis occurs, it is believed to be a process by which females pass on their genetic material to their offspring. It’s a last ditch effort They propose.

So how does parthenogenesis work?

Normally in animal reproduction, eggs, genetic material and share other cellular structures It is produced during the process of meiosis. The process creates three cellular byproducts called polar bodies.

These polar bodies are reabsorbed by the female, but in the case of parthenogenesis one of the polar bodies fertilizes the egg and creates a viable embryo.

So the process, It is something different than cloning and it has some disadvantages. For example, offspring that reproduce by parthenogenesis have less genetic diversity than their mothers.

For some species, asexual reproduction can be beneficial. For example, some populations of whiptail lizards in Mexico and California has become completely feminine and they reproduce asexually.

Not all species are well adapted to parthenogenesis.

Offspring born by parthenogenesis in sharks, usually short-lived They rarely reach sexual maturity.

In artificial insemination experiments with zebra sharks, scientists found that parthenogenetic offspring were produced. chance of survival investigated.

Study; average of those produced by parthenogenesis compared to those produced sexually. lived a year less revealed.

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