Bitch: On the Female of the Species

by Lucy Cooke

The bdelloids are able to survive and produce viable replicas of themselves because their mosaic of stolen genes code for enzymes that give them the remarkable ability to repair their shredded DNA. The temporary water sources they call home routinely dry out, leaving the bdelloids essentially mummified for potentially years while they wait for their next rain. Such dehydration has the same damaging effect on their DNA as radiation (if less extreme); their stolen genetic repair kit helps them patch things back up. As an added bonus it’s likely this is the bdelloids’ secret to surviving millennia without males; the process of stealing genes and reconstructing their genome looks like it provides the bdelloids with the same evolutionary benefits as sex.