Why Sex is Good

We all think we know why sex is good, but not the way biologists do. These scientists have speculated for a long time on why all living things don’t simply reproducing by splitting like amoebas. It doesn’t sound like much fun, but we could evolve to the point that this type of reproduction could give us an orgasm.

Biologist Erika Hersch-Green has found a good reason for sex: It strengthens an organism’s ability to adapt; specifically, it may lead to stronger disease resistance. How did she discover this? Not by experimenting with humans, mice or monkeys–she did her research on primroses.

These native North American wildflowers are unusual in that a number of species reproduce asexually, essentially through cloning themselves. That allowed Hersch-Green and her colleagues to compare 16 species that reproduce sexually with an equal number that function asexually. She says, "We found that the sexual plants have an increased ability for adaptive, positive evolution. That’s in line with many of the theories of evolution of sex."

Some of us are so busy having contact experiences, that we don’t have time to stop and smell the primroses (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to these two incredible interviews). At unknowncountry.com, we’re HERE for you, and we hope you’ll be HERE FOR US.