My pronouns are he/him
Sexual reproduction is a universal feature of eukaryotes and is thought to convey a substantial evolutionary advantage. I study the genetic system of J. Maynard Smith’s ‘scandalous’ bdelloid rotifers, an ancient and speciose animal clade in which no males or hermaphrodites have ever been described, and sexual reproduction has not been observed. Using genome sequencing data and modelling, I aim to determine if the bdelloids have truly persisted without sex for millions of years and, if yes, to uncover the genetic mechanisms behind their unlikely success.
