Post by freethinker on Aug 6, 2005 15:13:13 GMT -5
Sparked by something from Animal planet, thought I would share it with the group...
Animal planet extreme animals... the desert grassland whiptail lizard, the entire population is all female. for some reason or other, they don't need the male at all. Eggs are stimulated to be produced by a fake sex act by the females and a perfect genetic clone of the female is produced.
interestingly they tied this in to the human chromosomes. they mentioned that it is theorized that the y chromosome is shrinking and may one day dissapear. The X chromosome has 1500 genes, the Y only 78. It is believed that at one time it may have been the same size as the X. They project that in 125,000 years the y chromosome could dissapear. this should stimulate some complex questions within yourself... for instance why would the y be unnecessary. what would the female form be evolving into? what could have been lost with the diminishing Y chromosome?
Just something to consider if you have a mind as hungry as mine for insight into what we are.
Below is a brief excerpt of the lizard mentioned:
www.amnh.org/exhibitions/expeditions/treasure_fossil/Treasures/Unisexual_Whiptail_Lizards/lizards.html?50
The three Whiptail Lizards on view in the Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians all play a part in one of the greatest mysteries of nature.The New Mexico Whiptail, pictured here, is an all-female species that is actually a mixture of the other two examples on display at the Museum -- the Western Whiptail, which lives in the desert, and the Little Striped Whiptail, a denizen of grasslands.
Most products of crossbreeding, such as the mule, are sterile. But the New Mexico Whiptail, as well as several other all-female species of whiptail lizard, does reproduce, and all of its offspring are female. Moreover, it reproduces by parthenogenesis -- its eggs require no fertilization, and its offspring are exact and complete genetic duplicates of the mother.
Scientists understand only partially how this reproductive mode developed, and it raises many questions. One of the most intriguing is how this cloning affects the lizard's ability to adapt to environmental changes. Since there is no genetic variation except that which occurs through mutation, the New Mexico Whiptail cannot evolve as other species do.
The New Mexico Whiptail Lizard also offers an extraordinary opportunity to learn more about the role of sperm in fertilization, as well as about cloning. Through this anomaly, scientists may learn more about the norm.
Animal planet extreme animals... the desert grassland whiptail lizard, the entire population is all female. for some reason or other, they don't need the male at all. Eggs are stimulated to be produced by a fake sex act by the females and a perfect genetic clone of the female is produced.
interestingly they tied this in to the human chromosomes. they mentioned that it is theorized that the y chromosome is shrinking and may one day dissapear. The X chromosome has 1500 genes, the Y only 78. It is believed that at one time it may have been the same size as the X. They project that in 125,000 years the y chromosome could dissapear. this should stimulate some complex questions within yourself... for instance why would the y be unnecessary. what would the female form be evolving into? what could have been lost with the diminishing Y chromosome?
Just something to consider if you have a mind as hungry as mine for insight into what we are.
Below is a brief excerpt of the lizard mentioned:
www.amnh.org/exhibitions/expeditions/treasure_fossil/Treasures/Unisexual_Whiptail_Lizards/lizards.html?50
The three Whiptail Lizards on view in the Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians all play a part in one of the greatest mysteries of nature.The New Mexico Whiptail, pictured here, is an all-female species that is actually a mixture of the other two examples on display at the Museum -- the Western Whiptail, which lives in the desert, and the Little Striped Whiptail, a denizen of grasslands.
Most products of crossbreeding, such as the mule, are sterile. But the New Mexico Whiptail, as well as several other all-female species of whiptail lizard, does reproduce, and all of its offspring are female. Moreover, it reproduces by parthenogenesis -- its eggs require no fertilization, and its offspring are exact and complete genetic duplicates of the mother.
Scientists understand only partially how this reproductive mode developed, and it raises many questions. One of the most intriguing is how this cloning affects the lizard's ability to adapt to environmental changes. Since there is no genetic variation except that which occurs through mutation, the New Mexico Whiptail cannot evolve as other species do.
The New Mexico Whiptail Lizard also offers an extraordinary opportunity to learn more about the role of sperm in fertilization, as well as about cloning. Through this anomaly, scientists may learn more about the norm.
