Have sex and save the species
Read Time:1 Minute, 15 Second
Having sex confers evolutionary benefits
I’ve known for a long time that sex was good. I knew that having sex meant you could make more humans, or you could just do it for fun. Now, however, the eggheads have discovered that engaging in the “deed”, lots of times, is really good for the species. Well, you don’t need to tell me twice. Check out this story:
(NEWSER) Scientists have long theorized that sexual reproduction was better, evolutionarily speaking, than its asexual counterpart—and now they’ve got some evidence. Researchers in Britain found that sexually-reproducing worms were better at staying “one evolutionary step ahead” of parasites than asexual versions of the same worm, NPR reports. That sheds light on “one of the long-standing mysteries in evolutionary biology, one that we’ve been banging our heads against for 30 years,” says a researcher.
The question: What’s the point of guys? They take up resources, can’t give birth, and have nothing to offer but their DNA. The worms offer a clue: When scientists introduced a parasite to asexual versions, those worms “rapidly went extinct,” says a researcher. But “sexual populations were able to adapt and become better at evading their parasites,” even as those parasites grew more potent. So males are worth having around: Mixing DNA makes for stronger species, the study suggests.
Does this story encourage you to practice that which makes us perfect, at least in the long run? If you’re feeling “sexy” let us know, if you dare.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Well gee, I could have listed plenty of reasons why it’s good to have guys around. The scientists could have saved 30 years of hard work by asking me. But that “useful to evolution” thing is cool too.
LOL…I’m biting my tongue 🙂