Female sharks 'can give birth without mating'

Female sharks can reproduce without having sex, scientists revealed today.

The discovery could have solved a mystery which has baffled experts studying the species in captivity.

An international team of researchers based in Northern Ireland and the United States made the breakthrough after a hammerhead shark gave birth without mating with a male.

No traces of any paternal DNA were detected in the offspring.

More here

I read about that. Sigh.

Well, where's the fun in THAT?

Around here, fun and reproduction don't often go hand in hand, unfortunately...

This is so cool. I wonder if other sea creatures can do this.

Sorry, I'm behind the times here, but just a possibly downer note on the faint line question - when I recently had some possible PG symptoms and took a home test, I saw a tiny line that my husband couldn't see, but I had no doubt it was there, so I did all kinds of reading and came up with nothing, so then I tore the test up to see if the line was on the windowpane rather on the inner reactive strip, and I found an actual indentation. Further research suggests it was either an evaporation line (which I had never heard of before this incident but since have heard it mentioned several times - weird) or the result of an overzealous machine in the production process. Of course, I would be THRILLED for you if your line turns out to be the real deal, but in the event it's not, I'd hate for you to be endlessly tortured over it. It's not like you haven't already endured more than your share of torture, eh?

Mad Mommy -- You could be right, but evaporation lines don't usually come up right away and these I didn't have to tip into the light to see. But I'm sure wishful thinking had at least a small part to play. I wish I'd never taken a test now, lol!

Yeah, and sharks don't get cancer either. They still don't know how or why.

Sorry for the confusing results.:(

Well wouldn't THAT be handy. Sex could then be simply for fun, like once upon a time.

lol at misfitza. yeah- i remember those days. the days before "dont even try to get me off, just finish so i can keep my hips elevated and hopefully get pregnant again, this time without miscarrying."