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One million years without sex fails to erase stick insects' unused biological system

One million years without sex fails to erase stick insects' unused biological system
Phys.org Friday 07 August 2026, 23:00 UTC 1 min read
Key Points

Scientists have made a surprising finding about how an asexually reproducing stick insect has evolved. Research led by Dr. Darren Parker, lecturer in evolutionary biology at Bangor University, studied the genes of several species of Timema (a type of stick insect), which have not engaged in sexual reproduction for 1 million years—the longest known asexual period for any insect.

Scientists have made a surprising finding about how an asexually reproducing stick insect has evolved. Research led by Dr. Darren Parker, lecturer in evolutionary biology at Bangor University, studied the genes of several species of Timema (a type of stick insect), which have not engaged in sexual reproduction for 1 million years—the longest known asexual period for any insect.
Darren Parker (PERSON) Bangor University (ORG) Timema (ORG)
Originally published by Phys.org Read original →

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