Scientists at the University of East Anglia say that the sexual habits of beetles hold the answer to the existence of men. Researchers studied a colony of insects over 10 years to find the answers as to why men have not become extinct, given that their only contribution to reproduction is sperm.
Scientists at the University of East Anglia say they've worked out why men exist, by studying the habits of beetles.
Biologists have long puzzled over why males have survived given that their only contribution to reproduction is sperm.
In evolutionary terms, scientists say it makes more sense to have an all-female asexual population which creates daughters who can reproduce rather than sons who can not.
But new research suggests that sexual competition for mates keeps the population healthy and free of disease, keeping it genetically diverse.
Scientists studied a colony of Tribolium flour beetles and watched them evolve for 10 years under controlled laboratory conditions.
In some groups 90 beetles had to compete for the affections of 10 females, while in others females far outnumbered the males.
After 7 years or 50 generations of the beetles, researchers found that males who had competed the most for female attention were fitter and more resistant to disease and inbreeding.
In contrast beetles without sexual selection became extinct after 10 generations.
The research has been published in the Journal of Nature called 'Sexual selection protects against extinction'.
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