Comments on: Hacking Sex – The Odd Lives of Sexual Parasites http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/19/hacking-sex-the-odd-lives-of-sexual-parasites/ A science salon hosted by National Geographic Magazine Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:57:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.2-alpha By: Ralph Dratman http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/19/hacking-sex-the-odd-lives-of-sexual-parasites/#comment-40970 Ralph Dratman Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:04:04 +0000 http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/?p=152377#comment-40970 Can we humans get in on this exciting game? Although the term “sexual parasite” readily conjures images of certain well-known human types, I don’t think we yet have individuals who fit the bio-definition. If there ever was a trick for using a girlfriend to produce a clone of myself, I must have missed it..

Yet maybe it isn’t too late to start! It could be a promising new activity for couples: he tries to hijack her reproductive apparatus to clone himself; she throws hubby’s sperm out with the bathwater and makes another little girl just like (and I mean JUST LIKE) mommy. Look! Off in the distance, I think I see a sitcom a-borning.

]]> By: Paul Braterman http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/19/hacking-sex-the-odd-lives-of-sexual-parasites/#comment-40936 Paul Braterman Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:39:54 +0000 http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/?p=152377#comment-40936 This reminds me of the unisex salamanders, except that these keep their functioning male-derived DNA up-to-date; see eg Bi and Bogart, EDvol Bio 10, 238 (2010)

]]> By: Elisabeth http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/19/hacking-sex-the-odd-lives-of-sexual-parasites/#comment-40829 Elisabeth Wed, 20 Feb 2013 07:38:03 +0000 http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/?p=152377#comment-40829 I’m curious about these Amazon mollies that need sperm to start development of their eggs. Is there something in the semen that triggers a chemical reaction that starts development or do they need the sperm to penetrate the egg? I know, for example, in Xenopus poking the egg will start development and I was wondering if the same was true for these mollies.

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