Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!husc6!husc2!chiaraviglio From: chiaraviglio@husc2.UUCP (lucius) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: Re: Virgin births Message-ID: <1088@husc2.UUCP> Date: Wed, 17-Dec-86 22:53:02 EST Article-I.D.: husc2.1088 Posted: Wed Dec 17 22:53:02 1986 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Dec-86 06:46:55 EST References: <2849@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <1261@cybvax0.UUCP> <9@bcsaic.UUCP> <9088MIQ@PSUVMA> Organization: Harvard Univ. Science Ctr., Cambridge, MA Lines: 28 Summary: Parthogenesis in mammals? In article <9088MIQ@PSUVMA>, MIQ@PSUVMA.BITNET writes: [First, quotes stuff about artificially-induced parthogenesis by stimulating unfertilized eggs to divide] > I've heard about these experiments too. The most advanced animal > its worked with so far (as far as I know) is rabbits. The stimulation > took the form of placing the female in water & applying a small electric > current. Did it actually produce live newborns, or did the stimulated eggs degenerate into teratocarcinomas as they have in all the experiments with mammalian eggs that I have read about? Do you have any more details? When was this done (Molecular Biology of the Cell (1983) says that while such procedures work on many things up to and including reptiles, mammalian eggs stimulated to divide without fertilization only form teratocarcinomas). By the way, even in non-parthogenetic species, germ cells (including but not limited to eggs -- this can happen in males also) will attempt to develop an embryo without first being fertilized and without any artificial stimulation. That is why mammals, including humans, occasionally get teratocarcinomas. -- -- Lucius Chiaraviglio lucius@tardis.harvard.edu seismo!tardis!lucius Please do not mail replies to me on husc2 (disk quota problems, and mail out of this system is unreliable). Please send only to the address given above.