The ability to reproduce through sex helps a person fight infections. This curious conclusion was reached by scientists from the University of Stirling in the UK.
Birds do it, bees do it and people do it. But for science it is still a mystery why many living things have sex, and not reproduce, for example, through cloning. And now British scientists have found the answer to this question. They found that this kind of reproduction makes a person more resistant to infections, since our bodies adapt better to environmental threats.
Cloning from the point of view of a modern person does not look like such a fun way of reproduction, but it removes the need to look for a sexual partner, fall in love, have sex, etc. In the world of people, expensive clothes, cosmetics and cars are used to attract partners, in the world of animals - bright feathers, wool and horns. Still, there must be a definite advantage to having sex that makes it a preferred method of reproduction over cloning.
Researchers studied water fleas - unique organisms that can reproduce in both ways, that is, both through sex and through cloning. It turned out that sexually born fleas are twice as resistant to infections as those who were cloned.
It is the need to get rid of diseases that can explain the presence of sex as a way of reproduction in wildlife. Cloned organisms are genetically identical to their parents, which means that any parasites or bacterial infections that can infect mothers will be dangerous to their offspring. (READ MORE)
