Yeast study offers evidence of superiority of sexual reproduction versus cloning in speed of adaptation
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers with Harvard University has conducted a series of experiments that has led to evidence showing that sexual reproduction allows for speedier adaptation than does cloning, helping to explain why sexual reproduction has continued to exist despite it being so much more complicated than cloning. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the team describes their experiments and explain why they believe their results help show why it is that sexual reproduction continues to persist in nature. Matthew Goddard with the University of Lincoln in the U.K. offers a News & Views piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue, outlining what the team has accomplished and highlighting work yet to be done.