Speculative Fact #312: Men: Who Needs Them? Certainly Not the Ambystoma Salamanders or "Wonder Salamander"

  Ambystoma  salamanders are the ultimate feminists of the natural world. They reproduce using a process called 
kleptogenesis whereby they "steal*" DNA from males without having to go through the hassles of sexual reproduction. It's basically cloning with just enough variation in their DNA to maintain some genetic diversity. So, all their children are females. Oh, yes, and they regenerate at an incredible rate.

The stories practically write themselves, especially if you take into account the details from Speculative Fact #310 about CRISPR-Cas9. 
       

*"Steal" may be too dramatic a description of the process. Male salamanders leave their DNA in packets of sperm just laying about for anybody to pick-up.

"It would be  a shame if something were to happen to your sperm," says every female ambystoma everywhere. And they're not even taking all of it. Sampling would be a better description.  

-Rob Cameron

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