For parthenogenesis to happen, a chain of cellular events must successfully unfold. First, females must be able to create egg cells (oogenesis) without stimulation from sperm or mating.

Parthenogenesis is fairly common and varied in insects, but lots of vertebrates can do it too. Decades ago, scientists noted that they’d found examples in every vertebrate class except mammals.

In another form of parthenogenesis, apomixis, reproductive cells replicate via mitosis, a process in which the cell duplicates to create two diploid cells—a kind of genetic copy-and-paste.

Parthenogenesis has since been observed in a vast array of different animal species, particularly in snakes. And it’s also been found in birds, lizards, turtles and sharks.

Parthenogenesis in birds is apparently very rare. It’s known in domestic turkeys, chickens, and pigeons and in captive zebra finches, but the embryos don’t develop normally and generally die ...

Facultative parthenogenesis, which is what is being seen in these common smooth-hound sharks, allows an animal to reproduce both sexually and asexually, depending on the circumstances.

Parthenogenesis, translated from its Greek word origins, means virgin birth. The process — which is more common in the plant and insect worlds — allows a female organism to replicate itself ...

Parthenogenesis is a survival strategy that doesn't workHowever, unlike how the New Testament portrays virgin births, in the animal kingdom, things are a little different. They are not a literal ...

Parthenogenesis, potentially useful as a stem cell creation method, may be considered ethically acceptable by some who previously opposed stem cell and cloning research. Since parthenogenesis involves ...

Quetzal Dwyer This is precisely what happens in parthenogenesis in birds, lizards and snakes, Dr. Booth said, suggesting that this group of animals inherited the ability from a common ancestor.