Scientists have been looking into why sex is still predominantly the mode of reproduction when asexual reproduction could, arguably, be easier and produce more offspring that can reproduce on their own. So is sex the most effective way to reproduce? It takes time and energy, and for some people, a lot of planning, like monitoring ovulation cycles, checking your temperature, and using hormone treatments. So why, then, has the process of reproducing offspring not evolved in humans to a more easily achievable goal? The story answerers the question of why we still reproduce sexually.
The Need to Repopulate
Checking the time, Samantha groaned and smacked the still-closed elevator door with the flat of her palm.
“Come on, come on…” she pleaded at the still closed door as she watched the floor lights at the top of the door slowly count up. Releasing a small cry of exaltation at the ding and the door’s opening, she rushed out, almost sending the tiny old man in front of the elevator crashing to the ground.
“Sorry, Mr. Peterson!” she called over her shoulder as she dashed towards her apartment. The slight man’s outraged expression almost made her stop to apologize again, but before she could, her smartwatch pinged again, reminding her that she was on a clock.
“Damn it,” she muttered as she rushed to her door and rummaged through her handbag, trying to find her keys. Why did she not take it out in the elevator? She silently berated herself. Losing all sense of decency, she dumped the content of her bag on the floor just as Mark opened the door.
“Thought I heard you holler,” Mark’s words slowly faded as he stared at Samantha frantically, trying to scoop everything back into her bag.
“Should I… What are… You know what, I don’t think I want to know.” he finished, flabbergasted.
“I’m ovulating,” she stated as if that explained everything.
“In your purse?”
Irritation made her pause her movements. Pursing her lips, she slowly lifted her eyes to his. The small upturn of his lips and slight wrinkling at his eyes, coupled with him struggling to keep a straight face, had her releasing an unwilling chuckle.
“Ass.” she snorted. “Now, help me pick all this up before my temperature changes.”
Chortling to himself, Mark bends down and scoops most of the items into the bag, pausing at the condom on the floor and lifting his eyebrows.
“Won’t that defeat the purpose?”
“It’s not… It’s been in there for ages. I wasn’t…” she trailed off with a scowl as she saw the twinkle in his eyes again.
“Stop messing with me! Get in the apartment and take off your pants.” Samantha ordered with a slight grin of her own.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Mark saluted with a cheeky wink.
Effort to Reproduce
Resting on the couch, Mark glanced at Samantha as she paced in front of the kitchen counter. Shaking his head, he motions to her to come and sit down, patting the seat next to him.
“Relax,” he gently coaxes her. “This is supposed to be fun.”
“Fun! It’s supposed to be fun?” she mimics in a lousy imitation of his voice.
“Really, you didn’t like it? It wasn’t fun for you?” he asks slowly, cocking his head to the side and smirks slightly. “I would never have known from some of the sounds you made.”
“Mark!” Samantha grasps, blushing furiously. Sputtering, she tries to further her point despite Mark’s best efforts to distract her with a soft kiss on the neck.
“It can take a while for some people…” she tries to re-iterate as Mark softly nuzzles her neck.
“We can always make double sure now if you want before the test comes back.” His voice is a breathy whisper against her skin.
“Mark, this is serious.” Samantha signs while softly pushing him back.
“Apparently.” he signs and falls back against the cushions.
“Olivia struggled for years. It is not fun; it takes a lot of work!”
“Someone should have told my sister that when she got pregnant in high school.”
“Wait,” Mark says in mock seriousness as he pretends to pat himself down, looking for his phone, “I have to phone my parents and tell them she did not do it for fun. She was simply trying to ‘work’ harder. They have been angry at her for so long for all the wrong reasons. She’ll be so relieved to know.” he concluded dryly.
Samantha was spared from answering as the timer on her phone went off.
Jumping up, she grabs the pregnancy test. She stills slightly as she stares at the tiny screen before throwing the test in the trash with a thunk.
“There has to be an easier way,” she mutters disappointedly. “I am going to bed.”
The Reason Why
The following day Mark stretches after getting up behind his computer. It was a Saturday, and his wife was still sleeping. He had been awake for hours, researching the best way to make a child. They had only been trying for a month, and he knew it was not an issue yet, but the disappointment on his wife’s face last night had gotten to him. He had started with the best methods but had spiraled somewhere. He eventually landed on a research paper from Stirling University highlighting the evolutionary benefits of reproducing offspring sexually versus asexually.
Not that he thought the human race would ever be willing to simply forgo sex for pleasure, but Samantha’s whispered question made him wonder if it was the only way.
Hearing the soft footsteps of her bare feet on the floor, Mark turned and smiled as Samantha walked out of their bedroom. Enveloping her in a tender hug, he enquired if she was alright.
“I’m OK. Just a little embarrassed about last night. I know there is nothing to worry about after trying only for one month, but I somehow convinced myself that if we do everything right, it will happen immediately, ” she said with a small half smile before turning on the kettle.
“You were right about it being work, though,” Mark says as he motions her over to the computer.
“I have been reading up, and according to science, it is a costly way to reproduce.”
‘What?” Samantha asks as she looks at the screen. “You researched it?”
“Well, I wanted to have an answer next time you said something.”
“Well then,” she smiles tenderly at him. “What is the answer?”
“That komodo dragons and starfish can reproduce without sex. Now I personally feel very sorry for those species, but apparently, they don’t need to track ovulation, which must definitely be a bonus.”
“No, smart-ass,” she chuckles, shaking her head at him. “What about humans?”
“Well, it seems that we are doomed to have sex to make children. It seems that having offspring sexually can make babies more resistant to infections. They tested it on the waterflea, which can reproduce both sexually and asexually, and the babies produced sexually were more resistant to infections.”
“Which is why I think it is safe to say we must keep trying. It is better for the population as a whole when we are more resistant to infections, so if you think about it,” Mark says slowly, drawing Samantha closer, “We are doing it for the betterment of the species.”
Samantha snorted back laughter. Trying to compose her face, she looked into his eyes.
“Well, if science says it’s better, who am I to challenge it?” before slowly kissing her husband.
