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Female Sharks Can Reproduce Alone
mikesd81 writes "The Washington Post has an article about a team of American and Irish researchers that have discovered that some female sharks can reproduce without having sex, the first time that scientists have found the unusual capacity in such an ancient vertebrate species. Their report concludes that sharks can reproduce asexually through the process known as parthenogenesis (the growth and development of an embryo or seed without fertilization by a male). Scientists started investigating after a female hammerhead shark was mysteriously born at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo in a tank that housed 3 female sharks. It was originally thought one had stored sperm from a male shark before fertilizing an egg. However, baby shark's genetic makeup perfectly matched one of the females in the tank, with no sign of a male parent."
Female Sharks Can Reproduce Alone
If male sharks had ST:TNG on DVD they'd be indistinguisable from human male geeks.
Trolling is a art,
They were forced to evolve this ability after all the males were killed in frickin' laser accidents during mating attempts.
... at splashdot.org were just ruled obsolete. Slashdotters, beware ... we're next!
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
That just takes the fun out of it...
I, for one, welcome our new female shark overlords. Or should I say hermaphrodite sharks?
My photo's.
don't clone dinosaurs using shark DNA.
Finally, proof that Mother Nature never intended males to exist at all.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
...have you been splicing in frog DNA again? Naughty naughty.
u-bend
I bet this bitch shark names an innocent male as the father, and the courts force him to pay $2000 in maintenance every month! Fuck!
So evolution could eventually make the need for males obsolete...
10 FILL MUG WITH COFFEE
20 DRINK COFFEE
30 GOTO 10
...why we refer to attorneys... you know, those nice folks who would prosecute and litigate issues of paternity and whatnot... ...as "sharks"?
The problem with socialism is that they always run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher
Well Duh! Anyone that's seen Jurassic Park knows that anytime you create a habitat of only females offspring will mysteriously appear.
By the way does the baby have a friggin' laser on its head?
Get a web developer
This is just great.
Now the female sharks are going to dump all the males, and we're gonna be stuck with a bunch of angry lonely male sharks...
If they find frickin lasers, we're all screwed.
This is my signature. There are many like it but this one is mine.
"She must be a dyke," I'd say.
"No, that's just wishful thinking," my wingman tells me. "Maybe you should change your socks more often."
Shows him!
the baby should not have been genetically identical to anything in the tank unless its mother was also a parthenogen. parthenogenesis creates a homozygotic offspring that can have any random mix of the two chromosomes the mother carries for each pair. so if the mother has AB, the parthenogenic offspring can have either AA or BB, which is not identical to the mother since the mother has AB. the only way it can be identical is if the mother is also homozygotic and therefore a parthenogen.
My wife does this
Not sure why the kids are black tho
The shark just ate the stork...nothing to see here
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
Now we know how mankind really evolved. First there was the virgin birth, then we crawled out of the sea and after a few millenia, started to walk upright.
Er wait, I'm confused.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
OK... I am an atheist... but this does remind me of a certain story in the bible. [wikipedia.org]
Those of us who think they know everything annoy those of us who do.
How does this effect biodiversity. Thought one of the benefits of having multiple sexes was to insure a genetic mixup so that a single strain of genes doest become to prominent and things like bacteria/virii that adapt to that single code isn't as effective. Interesting post though.
Just a quick note, if you are ever in the Omaha, Nebraska area definitely stop by Henry Doorly Zoo. It's probably the nation's second best zoo behind San Diego's, and the shark tunnel is fantastic. As are the penguins, and the desert dome, and indoor jungle, and... A few winters ago we went to the Zoo and the place was deserted. Was able to just lay down in the Shark Tunnel and watch the sharks swim overhead for about a half hour with no one coming down. Was fantastic. At any rate, also -- as far as the article goes -- I wish someone would have some more explanation for how this works. Kindof freaky.
They should name the baby shark "Jesus." I think that would be kind of funny.
Who first suggested the idea of female sharks reproducing without sex?
Luckily, this doesn't spell doom for mankind!
Now, if life found a way to give birth to sharks with lasers pre-mounted, THEN we're doomed.
This is actually really interesting, and makes a lot of sense. Shark's genetics haven't evolved that much from its ancient relatives so this reproduction method would definitely limit variations. But I am curious as to if this is how the great white reproduces. Very little is known about the great whites breeding habits. One of the prevailing theories centers around whale carcasses.
Nobody jumped the shark then?
Home fucking is killing prostitution.
Has anyone looked into the possibility that this infant shark is the Great White Jesus? (I'd hate to be the angel that messed up the avatar selection for the second coming.)
There are two things that are wrong with your argument. First of all, there is no indication that these sharks are no longer capable of sexual reproduction. This only indicates that in the absence of males, parthenogenesis is an option.
Secondly, even if they truly could no longer sexually reproduce, sexual reproduction is not necessary for evolution. Thing about asexually reproducing bacteria, and how quickly some of them become resistant to antibiotics. Hell, all of the first organisms were probably asexual, and sexual organisms evolved from asexual organisms. Mutation drives evolution in asexual organisms, so no sex is necessary for evolution.
How on earth is Females Outnumber Males Online related?
Finally, a story where the "sharks" tag is actually relevant. Of course ... now people are going to tag it with "lasers".
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
"We have now demonstrated that sharks are actually able to use an alternative, previously unknown reproductive pathway, which is parthenogenesis. The problem here is that this alternative reproductive pathway results in offspring that have much lower genetic diversity,"
He just said the problem with a clone, is it's a clone! No shit! Haven't sharks been one of the longest to go without major changes in genetics anyways? They don't need to change! It bugs me when people make obvious statements and act like they're profound.
...can go fuck themselves.
For clearing up a common mis-"conception."
And for not making a lame joke about parthenogenesis like I just did.
The road to hell is paved with Cat 5 cable.
I could do that, I just don't want to...
the best part about children, is the conception! after that POP, it all goes down hill from there....
Sharks continually regenerate rows of teeth, and probably many other parts lost in sharky feeding frenzies. Their cartilage is used without immune reaction in reconstructing human tissue. Their fins are prized in Chinese folk remedies as a rejuvenating soup. Now we learn they're flexible enough to clone themselves.
We should closely examine these creatures, in all their varied (and often endangered) species, for secrets to rejuvenation. Most likely we'll learn a lot we can apply to human stemcell therapies, which a lot of these "magic" properties seem likely to be backed by.
--
make install -not war
It just rules out the ability for beneficial mutations to be acquired from different lines.
Viruses don't have sexual reproduction, yet they mutate and form resistant strains.
I don't have anything else to say.
does that all the time.
Mr. Liggett: Alright, Lightman. Maybe you could tell us who first suggested the idea of reproduction without sex.
David Lightman: Umm... Your wife?
Mr. Liggett: Get out, Lightman. Get out.
I thought the shark christ had finally come.
...keep trying to reproduce alone anyway.
"The Roman Catholic Bible has an article about a team of prophets that have foreseen that a female human will reproduce without having sex, the first time that prophets have found the unusual capacity in such an ancient vertebrate species. Their report concludes that some humans can reproduce asexually through the process known as Immaculate Conception (the growth and development of an embryo or seed without fertilization by a male)."
Unless modern sharks can reproduce with the earliest sharks, I don't think they'd be classified as the same species. I think you mean that the Selachimorpha superorder is ancient.
Teacher: "...And who can tell me the first person to suggest the idea of reproduction without sex?"
Ferris: "Uhm...Your wife?"
Bueller? Bueller?
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
By not jumping the shark, the male shark has finally jumped the shark.
Oh, yeah, it's not easy to pad these out to 120 characters.
No unless you want humanity to die off because of genetic mutations. There is a species of lizard that has the female primarily make clones of herself. Even then these lizards still reproduce sexually once in a while.
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
yet another reason to stop keeping conscious creatures locked up for the viewing pleasure of curious, callous humans
Virgin Birth?
BFD!
Lawyers can reproduce without sex? What?
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Well good! Continue being an atheist. Instead being able to claim it as a miricle, we now know that if there is any truth to the virgin birth story in Christianity, it can be rationally explained without invoking supernatural causes.
Why bother.
Zoidberg: "Love? Love is not known here. I'm simply looking for a female swollen with eggs to accept my genetic material."
Fry: "You and me both brother!"
"Thank you for using Stop-n-Drop, America's favorite suicide booth since 2008"
Considering the relations Jesus had with Mary Magdalene, I would say the Christian church now has to willingly accept homosexuality.
Why bother.
Don't you know what this means?! JESUS was a SHARK!
"We're gonna need a bigger ark"
I think they, too, have frog genes in their DNA. Just like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park!
Beware of the frog!
If you bother to RTFA, it suggests that this is quite dangerous in the long run as it would seriously dilute the gene pool, wiping out much-needed bio diversity. In otherwords, males aren't obsolete yet since we see time and time again that mono-cultures don't tend to last very long.
If the male sharks can't get it on anymore, they're gonna be even MORE pissed. It's bad enough that they have to constantly be moving and can't sleep, else they'll drown. Now that they're cut off from nookie, what's to stop them from taking their frustrations out on us?!?!? Prepare for a beachfront bloodbath. No sleep + no pussy = shark rampage.
Natural selection has little to do with sex. Sexual reproduction speeds up the process among complex organisms, but bacteria evolve very quickly without it.
The US free market: two halves of a government-granted duopoly are free to set the market price.
The last time we noticed that a female reproduced without a male, it was declared a miracle.
James Woods is doomed!
Er Galvão Abbott - IT Consultant and Developer
After I read the article I realised that they meant the marine predator; from the headline I thought that they meant lawyers!
... Sharks don't get cancer.
"All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"
Answer: Men.
It's sorta like the philosophy that the human brain can never fully comprehend itself. Science driven by men cannot progress to the point where they stop being fascinated by a pretty girl.
Unless, of course, we're all gay by then. In which case... I guess it would be possible... and we'd all be better dressed.
Hmm.
Purrrrrrfect.
... soon we will outpace the rest of the population.
:)
We don't need any men. I know at least 3 other Dyke Nerds, and if we all make 10 clones each before menopause, we'll have 40 Dyke Nerds.
Since they'll be exactly like us, we can expect at least 400 Dyke Nerds by generation 2.
4000 by gen 3, 40000 by gen 4, 400000 by 5, 4000000 by 6
That means one day there will be massive Dyke Nerd Orgies and slashdotters will never get laid.
Purrrrrrfect
... the shark offspring bore a striking resemblance to Vern, the tank cleaner.
Have gnu, will travel.
Female Sharks Can Reproduce Alone
So you've met my ex-wife?
Seriously, imagine the shark husbands; "That's not my pup. Who's the father???"
Or trying to explain this to your parents; "But Mom, I didn't. Really Mom."
And now the quotes, "A female shark needs a male shark, like a flounder needs a bicycle." - "All he's good for is opening jars and lifting heavy things." - "Not tonight, honey. I'm already stuffed."
In some ways, it would suck to be a male shark.
Best regards.
That only works if you can get generations happening quickly enough to react to changes in environment. The genetic variance in asexually produced generations is much smaller than in sexually produced generations. So you need a lot more generations to react. Bacteria can go full life cycle in a few hours, reproducing within minutes. This is the primary reason they are able to develop resistances.
Sexual reproduction allows for longer life cycles without losing the ability to evolve.
The next big Hollywood monster movie!
No wonder the male sharks are all pissed off.
'Once scientists, even the dim-witted social scientists, get muzzled, the Western Civilization is finished.' - oldhack
But can they run Linux?
THIS will be on the backs of submarines soon enough.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
... the King of the Jaws?
A black hole is where God divided by 0
They don't watch Grey's Anatomy there.
paintball
> Female Sharks Can Reproduce Alone
What's the big deal? Realizing the vital importance of it to continued existence of the species, male readers of Slashdot have been attempting this for over ten years.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
I'm no marine biologist, but I understand some breeds of fish can change sex when there is an imbalance in their population. I also understand sharks are classified as fish.
Could it not be possible that one of the other 2 female sharks, temporarily, switched sex???
If female sharks can reproduce without having sex, why can't my girlfriend have sex without reproducing?
God dammit what's happened to the Slashdot tagging system? Where are the lasers, the yes/no/maybes? I think the revised tagging system is defectivebydesign!
It was me. I admit it. Sorry.
No sex ? Bummer !
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Sexual reproduction speeds up the process among complex organisms, but bacteria evolve very quickly without it.
Sure they do. Google for "Bacterial Conjugation". Of course, they don't have genitalia like we do, but they manage anyway. Pretty much all bacteria that have been studied in any depth have been found to use conjugation to exchange DNA. There's even "bacterial porn" online, videos of the conjugation process.
Actually, most of them only engage in sex occasionally, Mostly they reproduce by cloning (i.e., dividing). When they have several populations of clones intermingling, they produce lots of random mixtures of the different populations' genes in a big orgy of conjugation. Natural selection then decides which of these mixtures deserve to survive. The result is the same sort of pooling of beneficial genes that happens in us multi-cellular organisms during sex.
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
Well, like Jesus, the sharp pup is dead, and like the Crocodile Hunter, it was a stingray that did it in.
:)
One could dig themselves quite a hole here.
The Immaculate Conception was that of Mary. Jesus' birth was the Virgin Birth.
Also, it'd be pretty weird to name the shark Jesus when it's a female. Parthenogenesis does not and cannot produce male offspring.
Sorry for being pedantic, but a lot of people are getting this all wrong.
Am I the only guy here who is glad that human women can't do this? We would be sooooo screwed, and not in the good way. Let's hope they NEVER develop a way for them to have babies with out men. Sharks, okay. Human Women, not so good.
...it's so hard to get a date with a female lawyer.
That must be really boring for the females, and really frustrating for the males...
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
> This fact could actually be a rational, scientific explanation for Mary's 'immaculate conception', if indeed an historical Mary and an historical Jesus ever existed.
A) No it can't be. This sort of reproduction produces only FEMALE offspring. Period.
B) The idea that Jesus didn't exist is, at best, fringe. Most scholars believe that Jesus existed because otherwise, you need a few centuries of conspiracy theories and you have to place Paul as the 'real' founder of Christianity, which means that you have to ignore all the evidence that does not support your theory or "reinterpret" it in increasingly novel ways to prevent it from being problematic, even though no one in all of history before you ever even supposed that it could possibly be interpreted that way. And you end up claiming that that's what it "really" meant the whole time.
Of course, most scholars also say that miracles are not a question that can be addressed by historical inquiry, so they don't claim that Jesus did anything supernatural, either. Of course, claiming that Jesus didn't exist sells a lot of books, so you do see some nobodies cashing in on the theory, but they're not being taken seriously by actual, reputable scholars, atheist or otherwise.
Just to clarify: sharks are just chordates, having no backbones as such.
We don't have compulsory service in the military anymore anyway. If we did, there might be imputus from those interested in evolving tactics to draft women into mixed and segregated training units as well.
However, we have a voluntary service. And women don't want to serve in separate units (by and large) so... there you are.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
Parthenogenesis has been observed in many vertebrates and some mammals, and it may rarely occur naturally in humans (even without divine intervention). So, this isn't all that unusual.
This is OLD news! Everyone already knows that Hillary had Chelsea.
Maybe this will help explain why sharks have stayed relatively unchanged for thousands of years?
Seriously, no one has yet to make the most obvious nerd joke here... the midichlorian thing from star wars... I'm not even going to bother trying to formulate something clever here, just pointing it out.
See the Komodo Dragon tale The tale explains the concept of parthenogenesis, which is simply put, "virginal birth". There are two interesting types in this : 1. Cloning, where the offspring is genetically identical to the parent 2. Selfing. where a female may produce two sets of chromosomes that mate. One set would behave like a sperm.
Yes... Dick Cheney's daughter and her partner just had a baby... so it must be true! No men required.
I'm simply saying that life finds a way.
Didn't know Mary Cheney was a lawyer..... go figure.
Typical.
What a life without sex, no shark support payments for 18 years, no moving out of your own ocean, no sharks in wigs to say YOU HAVE TO pay big-time,no need for DNA tests,no wonder they have survived for so long and not suicided !
...the St. Louis Zoo is better than either one of them, according to Zagat. Free, too.