A molecular switch between life, sex and death
Tuesday, November 29, 2016 - 12:31
in Biology & Nature
Shortly after mating, marine bristle worms die, leaving thousands of newly fertilized eggs to develop in the water. This extreme all-or-nothing mode of reproduction demonstrates a general principle: Animals need to decide if they invest their available energy stores either in growth or in reproduction. Researchers are now able to solve a 60-year-old riddle and determine the molecule that orchestrates this decision in marine bristle worms.