Our science teacher friend didn't believe us that a shark gave birth without insemination, but it's true - DNA evidence has confirmed (how do they do that???) that a shark born in '01 had no daddy - a virgin shark birth.
National Geographic posits that it is the result of parthenogenesis - a real virgin birth - because there was no paternal genetic material. Earlier reports had speculated that the shark mama is essentially a hermaphrodite, capable of inseminating herself, but that's apparently not quite the case...
My cards group had fun with this one last night - it's the second coming of Jesus! Who knew it would be in the form of a shark? And a possibly trans shark at that? All hail the Transgender Jesus Shark! Hmm...
But then I looked up the article and found out that the Jesus Shark was killed on the day of its birth by a stingray, so it is apparently not going to save the world. Bummer.
Bad stingray.
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