Who Needs Males? Not Self-Cloning Tropical Ants

Sexual reproduction confers evolutionary benefits

(NEWSER) - Scientists have long theorized that sexual reproduction was better, evolutionarily speaking, than its asexual counterpart—and now they’ve got some evidence. Researchers in Britain found that sexually-reproducing worms were better at staying “one evolutionary step ahead” of parasites than asexual versions of the same worm, NPR reports. That sheds light on “one of the long-standing mysteries in evolutionary biology, one that we've been banging our heads against for 30 years,” says a researcher. More»

Biggest-ever US ant fossil unearthed in ancient lake sediments in Wyoming

(NEWSER) - The fossil of an ant queen the size of a hummingbird has been found in lake sediments in Wyoming. The 2-inch-long ant is the biggest ever found in the US, and the newly identified species is one of the largest to have ever lived, reports LiveScience . Researchers say the "monstrously big ant" lived around 50 million years ago, when Wyoming was a lot warmer. The only ant species of the same size that's still around today lives only in central Africa. More»

Take your pick: Bob Marley, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson all qualify

(NEWSER) - Times change but one thing remains constant—successful men find success with the ladies. But success at birth control? Not so much. So the Daily Beast put together an overview of some of the most notable celebrity super-spawners. Here's a list of the father(s) of all baby mamas:

• Jack Nicholson, with 4 children by 3 women
• Lil Wayne, with 4 children by 4 women
• Clint Eastwood, with 7 children by 5 women

Fungus takes over brain, forces ants to relocate

(NEWSER) - First, the fungus takes over the ant’s brain. Then, it uses “mind control” to force the ant to move to a new location—an ideal location where the fungus can grow and its spores can spread. Finally, the fungus kills the ant—and then grows out of its head. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi Movie of the Week, but it’s real, scientists report in a new study. Researchers found four species of fungus that do just that in a Brazilian rain forest. National Geographic has pictures. More»

Protons could kill embryo's eggs, cut sperm count

(NEWSER) - Propagating the human race far away from home could be tough: Powerful radiation in space would likely sterilize female embryos conceived there, NASA finds, and it could shrink sperm counts, too. At the moment, we don’t have the technology required to create spacecraft shielding to block the radiation, the Telegraph reports. “The present shielding capabilities would probably preclude having a pregnancy transited to Mars,” notes a scientist. More»