The benefits of 80 million years without sex

October 12, 2007 | Source: PhysOrg.com

University of Cambridge researchers have discovered how Adineta ricciae, a species of bdelloid rotifer that has evolved without sex, has survived dehydration.

The two copies of the gene lea in Adineta ricciae are different and therefore generate proteins with different functions that protect the animal during dehydration. One copy protects essential proteins from clumping together as the animal dries out, while the other helps to maintain the fragile membranes that surround its cells.

Could this research be relevant for cryonic suspension? – Ed.