Sex: do we really need it?

Australian Broadcasting Corporation Science ^ | Tuesday, 8 July 2003 | Wilson da Silva in Melbourne

[I_dmc]

Sex: do we really need it?

Wilson da Silva in Melbourne

ABC Science Online

 

 

Birds do it, bees do it, humans do it - but nobody knows why sex evolved at all, the world congress of genetics heard in Melbourne today.

"The evolution of sex has presented a paradox to evolutionary biology for over a century," said Associate Professor Sally Otto, an evolutionary biologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, to delegates attending the 19th International Congress of Genetics.

"It's known there are a lot of costs to reproducing sexually. Why make sons and males, if you could just produce females that were able to reproduce by themselves? That's a division of resources into two sexes that seems unnecessary," she said.

Not only does this seem to waste resources, the whole process is prone to failure. There's the risk of not finding a mate, and the risk of getting a disease during mating. There's also a more subtle risk: if an individual reaches reproduction age and finds a mate, it is a successful genotype - a tried and true model of a species. But then that individual mixes their genotype with a mate, with no guarantee that the mixture is going to be any better.

[I_dmc]

From the Why Do We Do What We Do Dept...

[Mr. Jeeves]

Why make sons and males, if you could just produce females that were able to reproduce by themselves?

The NOW platform in a nutshell.

[Little Ray]

'Cause you'd lack the genetic variation that would allow new traids to be developed and re-inforced, and you would be unable to transmit successful traits through the population.

[Maceman]

Not only does this seem to waste resources, the whole process is prone to failure. There's the risk of not finding a mate, and the risk of getting a disease during mating. There's also a more subtle risk: if an individual reaches reproduction age and finds a mate, it is a successful genotype - a tried and true model of a species. But then that individual mixes their genotype with a mate, with no guarantee that the mixture is going to be any better.

For some reason, this paragraph makes me think of the way Demeocrats and the main stream media criticize the obviously successful war in Iraq.

[Abe Froman]

Because God wanted husbands and wives to have a good time.

[joesnuffy]

'Cause you'd lack the genetic variation that would allow new traids to be developed and re-inforced, and you would be unable to transmit successful traits through the population.

Like syphylis? :)

[Pan_Yans Wife]

It sounds like they are extremely frustrated.

[Lost Highway]

Why make sons and males, if you could just produce females that were able to reproduce by themselves?

Because there would be no one to kill the spiders.

[Hank Rearden]

Nope. We have Dove bars.

[Snowy]

Because there would be no one to kill the spiders.

LOL!

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[Billthedrill]

You can live for years without sex. I am living proof.

[XJarhead]

Why make sons and males, if you could just produce females that were able to reproduce by themselves? That's a division of resources into two sexes that seems unnecessary," she said

I cannot believe a person with those academic credentials could ask such a stupid question. The genetic variation and natural selection argument seemingly cuts that to ribbons.

[UseYourHead]

Speaking of evolving...

Her web page: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~otto/

[Cobra64]

What is a "Dove bar"? As in Dove soap?

[Conspiracy Guy]

Why shouldn't the amoeba be the highest life form. Seems their intelligence is equal to these scientists. God made so many mistakes. These people can straighten all that out.

[r9etb]

'Cause you'd lack the genetic variation that would allow new traids to be developed and re-inforced, and you would be unable to transmit successful traits through the population.

If that's the case, then how did sex evolve in the first place?

That's the paradox, see?

[r9etb]

I cannot believe a person with those academic credentials could ask such a stupid question. The genetic variation and natural selection argument seemingly cuts that to ribbons.

I cannot believe that somebody as smart as you can't see the problem. If sex evolved, how could it evolve without some means of transmissible genetic variation?

[theDentist]

"...nobody knows why sex evolved at all"

Bwahahaha... all that "brilliance" and they can't figure it out.

[CommandoFrank]

Hey, I need some right now!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tijeras_Slim]

I think she once had sex described to her, but has never actually done it.

[DeathfromBelow]

"Why make sons and males, if you could just produce females that were able to reproduce by themselves? "

If you need to ask that question, then you have been doing it wrong or with the wrong people. i.e., same sex. </I

[DeathfromBelow]

"Why make sons and males, if you could just produce females that were able to reproduce by themselves? "

If you need to ask that question, then you have been doing it wrong or with the wrong people. i.e., same sex. </I

[NEWwoman]

Why make sons and males, if you could just produce females that were able to reproduce by themselves?

The NOW platform in a nutshell.

As pointed out later in the article, sexually reproduced organisms are more hardy and likely to survive due than asexual ones.

And as another post asked: who will kill the spiders?

[TRY ONE]

"- but nobody knows why sex evolved at all..." EVOLVED?

It did not EVOLVE --- God CREATED Adam & Eve (BTW, Eve was naked), then WhamO!

[TSgt]

Is it still considered sex if you are alone? ;)

[Windsong]

It did not EVOLVE --- God CREATED Adam & Eve (BTW, Eve was naked), then WhamO!

Oh really? So you were there to witness it all eh? And how do you know that Eve didn't, ahem, "modify" the er.."programming" after she ate the forbidden fruit? The Bible doesn't say how they multiplied, or any other of a half or so billion other little details...

[Joe Brower]

[Ghengis]

You can live for years without sex. I am living proof.
Billthedrill

You may need to choose a more appropriate screen name.

[CDHart]

"If that's the case, then how did sex evolve in the first place? That's the paradox, see?"

That must be where the "man and female created He them" from Genesis comes in.

Carolyn

[Jay D. Dyson]

Birds do it, bees do it, humans do it - but nobody knows why sex evolved at all, the world congress of genetics heard in Melbourne today.

In professing themselves wise, they exposed themselves as fools.

C'mon...even if one rules out the obvious elements of sex (orgasm and procreation), sex remains essential to assuring the survival of a given species for three distinct reasons.

1. Sex, of its very nature, provides practical assurance that only those who survive long enough to reach sexual maturity will have the opportunity to procreate.

2. Sex provides a species with the most complex sampling of dominant, codominant and recessive genetic mixes. While the phenotype is usually apparent (and plays a role in attraction between the sexes), the genotype itself is typically hidden and will only manifest itself when a new challenge to the species (such as disease or environmental change) presents itself. Only those that survive said challenge long enough to reproduce will contribute to the ongoing genetic makeup of the species, thus giving their offspring their necessary qualities as well as a mix of other recessive traits that will benefit the following generations when new challenges arise.

3. Every conception is the product of brutal competition. Millions of sperm compete to fertilize one egg. Only one sperm (the fastest and the strongest) will make it. Any artifice in the fertilization process rules out this very necessary and natural part of assuring that Only The Best Ingredients will be used.

-Jay

[Consort]

If that's the case, then how did sex evolve in the first place?

Sex is the physical and behavioral equivalent of consciousness; it is the impetus behind everything we do: propagation/marriage - procreation, religion/mathematics - go forth and multiply, dealing with others/effectively communicating - "they're all F**ked up", "what a screwed-up mess", "what the f**k!", "don't f**k with me.", "We're screwed.", PETA - animal husbandry and sheepherding, entrepreneurship - prostitution, the porn industry,.... Then again, maybe not.

[philosofy123]

The NOW movement have pushed their agenda on TV viewers; showing men to be stupid buffoons, and worthless. More girls are doing better in schools than boys, may be because boys have lost confidence in themselves? The media is constantly telling us that women are better creatures. So, “when the revolution comes, we should kill all the men!” I say, guys can be happy, and self fulfilled also. We do not need stinking kids, or holes! When are guys going to ever consider a solidarity movement to oppose such constant defamation to their characters?

[r9etb]

That must be where the "man and female created He them" from Genesis comes in.

Well, yeah. Of course, that would require them to admit the existence of God, which raises a few difficulties....

[TRY ONE]

"Oh really? So you were there to witness it all eh? And how do you know that Eve didn't, ahem, "modify" the er.."programming" after she ate the forbidden fruit? The Bible doesn't say how they multiplied, or any other of a half or so billion other little details...
__________________________________________________

Me don't don't think you know what you're talking about. Much IS WRITTEN in the WORD if one wants to go read it!

Gen. 2:25 "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

Gen. 4:1 "Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain.."

[Oberon]

So we can have pictures like the following for Madison Avenue to use in product marketing:

[GluteusMax]

Only one sperm (the fastest and the strongest) will make it.

Well, actually each of us is the result of some slacker that got there after the initial faster ones wore down the coating of the ova. The fastest ones got tired doing all the work to let us slower fresh arrivals scoot in.

[exile]

"Sex: do we really need it? "

According to my wife, the answer is "SHADDUP & QUIT BUGGING ME"

[ravingnutter]

The media is constantly telling us that women are better creatures.

But we are...everyone knows you have to endure at least one failed experiment before you can achieve perfection : )

[truenospinzone]

Well, you can exist for years without sex, but I damn sure wouldn't call it "living"...

[Jay D. Dyson]

Only one sperm (the fastest and the strongest) will make it.

Well, actually each of us is the result of some slacker that got there after the initial faster ones wore down the coating of the ova. The fastest ones got tired doing all the work to let us slower fresh arrivals scoot in.

Hm. That's a new one. All of the data I'd seen (which is admittedly years old now) indicated that sperm operated in a pitbull-like fashion and didn't give up once they'd latched on.

'Course, there's also been discoveries of "killer sperm" that make their (albeit short) living out of attacking and slowing down other sperm en route to the egg. Not quite sure what to make of that...

-Jay

[MHGinTN]

They'll be changing their name soon, to 'The Parthenogenites' ... it's their arrogance, don'tcha know!

[Jay D. Dyson]

The media is constantly telling us that women are better creatures.

But we are...everyone knows you have to endure at least one failed experiment before you can achieve perfection : )

I have to concur. Women are indeed the better of the species. They look better, they smell better, they feel better... oy vey! And who's trying to say that sex isn't necessary?! RAR.

-Jay

[Saturnalia]

Bump to mark this thread until I find my notes.

[FeliciaCat]

Sex: do we really need it?

Yes. Lots of it ;)

[wardaddy]

More whining from ugly women who had issues with daddy.

[ColdSteelTalon]

I have the ANSWER. Because that's the way God wanted it !!!!

But I suppose that people will not satified with that.

[F-117A]

GENDERCIDE WATCH seeks to confront acts of gender-selective mass killing around the world. We believe that such atrocities against ordinary men and women constitute one of humanity's worst blights, and one of its greatest challenges in the new millennium.

[vin-one]

I'm with you, on this one......
once a week is not enough..............

[sit-rep]

The author obviously did not have a decent relationship with their father... If they had a father at all. To write something like this, tells me they have issues!