It’s only a matter of degree, isn’t it? I mean between reptiles and mammals. While our common ancestor was quite a bit older than Lucy, we’re still fam, right? I’m not the only one, I’m sure, who read with interest the New York Times story about the female crocodile who recently gave birth without the help of a male. It’s called parthenogenesis and, according to the article, it’s not as rare as we might think. Birds and amphibians do it. Some fish even change gender under reproductive pressure. And if you’ve seen Jurassic Park you know the implications might be larger by an order of magnitude or two. My mind, however, wanders to mammals. Then primates. Then humans. If our distant cladistic cousins can do it, can we?
The key appears to be males leaving females alone long enough. As Malcolm says, “life will find a way.” Life amazes me. While we can’t count on it happening for each individual, life has a way of reemerging when you think it’s gone. Previous owners of our house neglected a green ash tree growing in a location far too close to the house itself for many years. Granted, it was on the north side where you seldom have any reason to go, but that tree sent out progeny that I’ve had to try to eradicate for five years now. As much as I love trees, when they’re growing into the foundations of your house, they’re a bit of a problem. I snip off the water shoots whenever I find them but they keep coming back. I’m sad to cut them but I admire their persistence. Life’s persistence. It’s will to carry on. It continues even when we think it can’t. Never forget the water bears!
Just a few days later the Times ran an article about the strong possibility of life on Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m absolutely certain there’s life elsewhere. It makes no sense for it not to be. Life evolves to a point, it seems, where the “intelligent” variety seems to become arrogant. I embrace our reptilian and amphibious and piscine cousins. Even our insect and arthropod family. Our plants and fungi. Life is amazing and we seldom stop to ponder just how wonderful and mysterious and resilient it is. A lonely female crocodile decides to have a family. Phosphates spewing from an ice-cold moon whirling around a colossal planet that wanted to be a star. Life! How can we not be stunned into trying to admire it in its many, many forms?