A female Komodo dragon isolated from males produced an offspring without male fertilization. This goes to show Nature's proclivity for life proliferation is so strong, life will clone itself. True, genetic diversity is necessary for survival in the face of unpredictable environmental forces. Whereas in terms of searching for physical immortality, manipulating our genes to trigger self cloning will allow for greater control over our environment (i.e., we could ride the moon).
In the interest of searching for physical immortality, it would help to understand the genetic makeup of the Komodo dragon and the triggers for parthenogenesis which could aid in better understanding self cloning in the face of mortality.
By Christie Ewen
