An amazing finding has captured the attention of the scientific community: a team of researchers from the prestigious University of Cambridge has managed to unravel the genetic mystery known as parthenogenesis or “virgin birth”, which has manifested itself for the first time in an animal that normally reproduces sexually.
This phenomenon allows female fruit flies to give birth without the need to mate with a maleaccording to the report of T13.
The study, the results of which were published in the journal Current Biology, reveals how the female fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster have been genetically modified to give rise to a reproduction process without the intervention of a male.
This scientific achievement is not only groundbreaking in itself, but also sheds light on the genetic mechanisms that might be behind parthenogenesis in other species.
Parthenogenesis in other species
Parthenogenesis, a rare but not unknown phenomenon in the animal kingdom, has been observed in species such as lizards and birdswhere females are capable of giving birth without mating, mainly when no males are available in their environment.
Scientists alter the genomes of female fruit flies, allowing them to reproduce without any contribution from a male https://t.co/0dPooorB8a
— nature (@Nature) July 31, 2023
What makes this discovery in fruit flies so intriguing is that, unlike these other species, Drosophila melanogaster is known for its sexual reproduction.
Dr. Alexis Sperling, a researcher at the University of Cambridge and leader of the study, explained that her interest in virgin births arose after witnessing one in her own pet praying mantis. Following that curiosity, she and her team embarked on a research process that involved genomic sequencing of related fruit fly strains.
By comparing the genomes of strains that reproduced virginally with those that needed to mate, were able to identify the genes responsible for this striking difference.
I am excited to share the final version of our work on the genetic basis of virgin birth (parthenogenesis) in fruit flies! It was a joy working with @DK_Fabian @erikgarrison @LabGlover on this understudied phenomenon.https://t.co/y1rcag4cOE
—Alexis L Sperling (@AlexisLSperling) July 29, 2023
Their genetic manipulation allowed Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies to become fully parthenogenetic creatures, capable of giving birth without male intervention. The experiment, which lasted six years and involved more than 220,000 flies, showed that the genetically modified flies continued to reproduce normally when in contact with males, but when isolated, a small percentage opted for an enigmatic “virgin birth.”
While this discovery represents a milestone in understanding the genetic processes behind parthenogenesis, the scientists emphasize that this phenomenon remains rare in nature and still requires further study. Although fruit flies have been shown to be capable of this type of alternate reproduction, the theory that this might be a last resort to sustain a species has yet to be confirmed.