Parthenogenesis Essay

For as long as humans have studied the idea of reproduction, they have typically considered the process to be between a male and a female, or in the case of asexual reproduction, between two gametes. However, scientific discoveries of parthenogenesis challenge this idea. Parthenogenesis is a process in which a viable embryo can be produced from two eggs without the presence of sperm. Although the artificial recreation of this process in humans and vertebrates has not been accomplished, scientists have achieved a great deal; from discovering this phenomenon in nature, to replacing reproductive cells and regenerating damaged reproductive systems, to fathoming the possibility of reproducing without the presence of sperm, much has been discovered about parthenogenesis.

After Bonnet’s aphids gave birth to ninety-five offspring through parthenogenesis, Bonnet wrote to Réaumur of his success. Réaumur then read Bonnet’s letter to the French Academy of Sciences leading to Bonnet being officially named a correspondent in the experiment (Lawrence). Bonnet’s experiments were then repeated and refined by multiple biologists throughout the rest of the eighteenth century. However, progress came slowly. The first significant discovery of parthenogenesis in vertebrates did not occur until the 1950’s when scientists observed the process in certain strains of turkeys. Later, in the 1990’s, scientists observed parthenogenic tendencies in crustaceans such as brine shrimp. Unfortunately, neither of these species were able to reproduce by parthenogenesis in labs (Booth). After this monumental observation, biologists began to investigate the natural process of parthenogenesis in vertebrates living in the wild. The scientists specifically searched for a species that primarily reproduced by parthenogenesis, in an attempt to successfully replicate the process in labs. Through this research, it is now known that snakes,