Biologists have discovered the secret of the Immaculate Conception

Biologists from the University of Cambridge have identified the cause of the virgin birth - it's all about specific genes. The surprise was that they can literally be turned on and off, which they did in the case of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. This study lasted six years, and the conclusions of scientists published journal Current Biology.

Virgin reproduction or parthenogenesis is the process by which an egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by a male's sperm. The offspring from such a conception are not an exact clone of their mother, but are genetically very similar and always female.

To achieve the goal, the researchers sequenced the genomes of two strains of another fruit fly species, Drosophila mercatorum, one of which reproduces only through same-sex conception. They then identified the genes that turned on or off when the insects bred without fathers, and then turned on the ones needed in Drosophila melanogaster. It worked.

It also turned out that the ability is inherited, and the next offspring can choose the method of reproduction. However, only 1-2% of females of the second generation gave offspring through the immaculate conception. And this always happened only in the absence of a mating partner.

This experiment is part of a study in which scientists want to find out why virgin conception in insects is becoming more common, especially in pests. This could be a real problem for agriculture in the future, as female-only production speeds up their spread.