Scientists said on Friday they have genetically engineered female fruit flies that can have offspring without needing a male, marking the first time 'virgin birth' has been induced in an animal.
The researchers then compared the results, aiming to pinpoint the genes behind virgin births.to match what they saw in its close relative.The research, which took six years, involved more than 220,000 fruit flies.But among those kept in isolation, 1 to 2 percent seemingly gave up on ever seeing a male around halfway through their life – around 40 days – and had a virgin birth.
Sperling said that the feat would have been almost impossible to achieve in any other animal because of the wealth of data about fruit flies – and because of how difficult parthenogenesis is to study. But Sperling said that more animals are probably capable of virgin births than is currently known, pointing to the recent crocodile discovery.
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