Women could soon have ‘virgin births’ WITHOUT men, experts say – as a female lizard gives birth alone

A ‘virgin birth’ may sound like something found only in the Bible – but it’s actually one of nature’s real-life miracles. 

Known by scientists as ‘parthenogenesis’, this natural form of asexual reproduction lets healthy offspring develop from a female’s unfertilised eggs.

Only last month, a female lizard at a zoo near Birmingham gave birth to eight hatchlings, despite never having been in contact with a male.

But virgin births have already occurred in a wide range of animals such as sharks, snakes, crocodiles, crustaceans, scorpions and wasps. 

Amazingly, virgin births leave no part for the male to play – casting doubt over their role in the entire reproductive process.

Currently, parthenogenesis has never occurred in humans, although it has been achieved in mammals. 

And while it may sound too good to be true for misandrists who want a baby, human ‘virgin births’ might actually be possible.

So, is this the beginning of the end for men? Here’s what scientists say.  

Scientists reveal whether ‘virgin births’ could ever be possible in humans – potentially casting doubt over the role of males in the reproductive process (file photo) 

For most animals, reproduction is sexual, meaning it involves a female’s egg being fertilised by a male’s sperm. 

In contrast, parthenogenesis is asexual, meaning only one parent is needed to give life and pass on their genes. 

It is not entirely clear what triggers certain species to undergo this process, or what connects all the species known to have this capability. 

However, we do know parthenogenesis usually happens when the female has been isolated for a long time and has little hope of finding a mate. 

By this logic, women who are living alone should be able to get pregnant even if they are not having sexual intercourse with a man. 

Just a few years ago, parthenogenesis was thought to be impossible in mammals – but recent experiments have changed all that. 

Scientists in China reported in 2022 that parthenogenesis had been achieved with mice using the clever but controversial gene-editing tool CRISPR. 

Thanks to the team’s genetic manipulation, one live mouse born through parthenogenesis survived to adulthood and was even able to reproduce.  

Staff at Exotic Zoo in Telford, Shropshire were quite surprised when their long-term resident Carol the casque-headed iguana ‘decided to lay some eggs’

At the zoo near Birmingham, eight hatchlings are ‘identical’ genetic clones of their mother – who gave birth without having sex with a male

Last year, students in Portsmouth were surprised that their 13-year-old snake ‘Ronaldo’ suddenly gave birth without having sex. Although the snake is female, students and staff thought it was male – hence its name Ronaldo after the famous footballer 

Crucially, the research showed that genetic modifications can lead to parthenogenesis, suggesting similar genetic tweaks could lead to virgin births in humans. 

Dr Louise Gentle, lecturer in zoology at Nottingham Trent University, said parthenogenesis in humans is ‘technically possible’, but it would require humans with similar genetic tweaks or mutations to breed together to even give a chance of it happening. 

‘There have been some studies in laboratories that have produced parthenogenic embryos in mammals, but these have involved genetic modification,’ Dr Gentle told the Daily Mail. 

‘Although our DNA is modified through natural processes such as mutations, the chances of modifications that lead to parthenogenesis are rare. 

‘To get parthenogenesis in humans, you would need to have individuals with the same chance mutations (there would have to be many mutations) breeding together. 

‘It’s an extremely long shot, with a tiny probability, but it is technically possible.’ 

Tiago Campos Pereira, a professor of genetics at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, said there are ‘biological barriers’ established by our genetic makeup that prevents parthenogenesis in humans.

But this genetic makeup may be ‘altered by natural mutations’, he told the Daily Mail. 

Aquarium staff are baffled by a miraculous ‘virgin birth’ in their shark exhibit. ‘Yoko’ the young swell shark was born to a mum in an all-female tank at Shreveport Aquarium, Louisiana 

‘Therefore, in theory, all those barriers might be overcome by a set of specific mutations, in the genes responsible for those barriers,’ he said. 

‘If a woman happened to have all those specific mutations by chance, perhaps she could have a virgin birth.’ 

Currently, human eggs need certain information from the sperm in order to start developing into an embryo.

This modification, called epigenetic modification, impacts gene activity without changing the underlying DNA sequence. 

‘It is often likened to highlighting text – the word doesn’t change but the way you view it does,’ Dr Gentle explained. 

‘The ‘highlighting’ that comes from the sperm is essentially what instructs the egg to develop.’ 

Gene editing tools could change this basic requisite to create mutations that are unnatural, rather than natural – but performing such modifications on a human would pose a huge ethical question mark. 

‘In theory, CRISPR-based gene editing could make such specific alterations, but in humans such process is illegal, immoral and unethical,’ said Professor Pereira. 

Just a few years ago, parthenogenesis was thought to be impossible in mammals – but recent experiments have changed all that. Scientists in China reported in 2022 that parthenogenesis had been achieved with mice using the clever but controversial gene-editing tool CRISPR 

Herman Wijnen, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Southampton, said mice are the only mammal species where this has been successfully attempted.

‘I don’t think that anyone is pursuing this in humans due to obvious ethical concerns,’ he told the Daily Mail. 

Researchers also stress the potential long-term dangers of individuals born through parthenogenesis, including increased risk of widespread disease. 

All babies born due to parthenogenesis are essentially ‘identical’ genetic clones of their mother – right down to their sex. 

Long-term, this could be disastrous for the survival of a certain species due to a lack of genetic diversity. 

‘Parthenogenesis is risky in terms of species survival because if one individual is susceptible to disease, all individuals would also be susceptible, causing the population to go extinct,’ Dr Gentle said. 

So, although parthenogenesis not totally impossible in humans, it is probably best avoided for the good of our species.