Mysterious animals 'stop sex' 80 million years

The tiny, all-female creature called bdelloid rotifer has survived over 80 million years on Earth without "making it". A new study finds that consuming foreign DNA from other simple forms of life may be a secret to the survival of this asexual breed.

In their study, British scientists found that up to 10% of the genes work in the tiny Bdelloid rotifer that comes from bacteria and other organisms like fungi and algae.

The finding 'adds to the incredible points of an already bizarre creature,' said Alan Tunnacliffe, a University of Cambridge professor and head of the study.

Bdelloid rotifer has formed the strange "Western Salary Women" in the animal world.

The Daily Mail quoted Professor Tunnacliffe as saying: ' We do not know exactly how the gene transfer process takes place, but it almost certainly involves eating DNA in the organic particles that are full. in their habitats. Bdelloid rotifer is a species that eats everything smaller than their head '.

Many asexual reproductive organisms are thought to be at risk of extinction due to the lack of genetic diversity and the formation of mutations (the process often associated with the reproduction of a parent's DNA). However, the Bdelloid rotifer has found a way to avoid such disadvantages of asexual reproduction, diversifying into at least 400 subspecies.

One of the more special qualities of this strange species is its ability to withstand extreme dehydration. Scientists believe that bdelloid rotifer formed this ability in part thanks to DNA collected from the outside.

The new study found that some foreign genes are activated when Bdelloid rotifer begins to wither itself in its environment. These genes may also be responsible for powerful antioxidants, which are thought to protect Bdelloid rotifer from the side effects of gradual dehydration.

"We have not yet identified these antioxidants but think that some of them may come from foreign genes ," Tunnacliffe said.

The bizarreness of Bdelloid rotifer may also be due to their effective DNA repair mechanisms, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.