Researchers recently sequenced the DNA of a species of small translucent worm, discovering it has not had sex for more than 18 million years. And it's survived just fine, reports Rae Ellen Bichell for NPR
Sexual reproduction evolved more
Researchers recently sequenced the DNA of a species of small translucent worm, discovering it has not had sex for more than 18 million years. And it's survived just fine, reports Rae Ellen Bichell for NPR
Sexual reproduction evolved more than a billion years ago on Earth, and it provides significant genetic benefits to the many animals that have adopted it. Along with increasing the rate of natural selection and evolution, sexual reproduction also allows for easy mixing of genes, which keeps the natural random mutations that commonly occur in DNA from building up over time. That buildup can result in a "mutational meltdown" that can severely impact the health and continued survival of the remaining animals, writes Bichell. (A famous example of this among humans is the severe disorders suffered by some Egyptian pharaohs as a result of inb