Bad News: It's a Big Lizard!!
According to a report noted in Evolving in Kansas, Komodo Dragons have been hatched in Sedgwick County without fertilization by a male.
There are two of them, both males. (Isn't that interesting?) ...
I think they should name them Jesus and Brian.
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Go figure:
Apparently immaculate Komodos hatched (AP)
AP - Two Komodo dragons have hatched at the Sedgwick County Zoo, apparently without the fertilization of a male. The dragons, both males, are believed to be the first in North America known to have hatched by parthenogenesis, which occurs…
At a zoo in England, a Komodo dragon has laid eggs that have hatched even though she has never been exposed to a male:
Scientists unveiled five squirmy black and yellow Komodo dragons Wednesday that were the product of a virgin birth, predicting that the hatchlings offered hope for breeding the…
According to Christian lore, Mary gave birth to baby Jesus without ever having had sex with Joseph. A biologist might describe this as 'parthenogenesis', the Greek version of the more familiar phrase 'virgin birth'('parthenos' means virgin, and 'genesis' means birth). The New Testament aside,…
For humans, sex is a simple matter of chromosomes: two Xs and we become female; one X and a Y and we develop into males. But things aren't so straightforward for many lizards - many studies have found that the temperature of the nest also has a say, even overriding the influence of the chromosomes…
I thought that parthenogenesis always produced female offspring because the they would have inherited both x chromosomes from the mother.
Not all animals use the mammalian XX (female) XY (male) or the birds ZZ (male) and ZW (female)) to distinguish the sexes. I believe some reptiles use incubation temperature though others use chromosomes.
See
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7178/full/451527a.html
for some info
Note that in bees fertilized eggs become females (either queens or workers depending on diet) while unfertilized eggs become males (drones).
Biblical based exemptionalism sure is taking a beating.
Reptiles' sex determination is based on the temperature of incubation of the egg.
Interesting! Now that you say it, it seems like I've heard that somewhere before.
I guess it would be possible for the zoo to determine the results by changing the temperature.