Abstract
The transfer of genes from one organism to another by sexual contact is the essence of inheritance and a major player in evolution. Sex has been going on for a long time—at least 2 or 3 billion years if the behavior of present-day microorganisms is an indication of what happened soon after the dawn of life. The practice was retained throughout evolutionary history, and with relatively few exceptions, became the predominant feature of reproduction in the lives of all higher animals, especially vertebrates. Sex, that is, the transfer of genes from male to female and subsequent transfer to progeny, is apparently an irrevocable part of reproduction, inheritance, and evolution of mammals.
Keywords
Evolutionary History Sexual Activity Virulent Strain Human Intervention Sexual Contact
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Copyright information
© Kenneth Maxwell 1994