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Health & Science3h 53m ago
A new study in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that asexual, clone-based reproduction in early animals kept competition low and delayed evolution for millions of years.
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Mistaken Point in Newfoundland and Charnwood Forest in the United Kingdom
Who
Dr Emily Mitchell, Professor Andrea Manica, and researchers from the University of Cambridge
What
A new study in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that asexual, clone-based reproduction in early animals kept competition low and delayed evolution for millions of years.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 16:07:00 GMT · 3h 53m ago
Where
Mistaken Point in Newfoundland and Charnwood Forest in the United Kingdom ·
Why
Early animals reproduced asexually using stolons, which limited dispersal, reduced competition, and slowed the pressures that typically drive evolution.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This research provides a new explanation for a long-standing puzzle in early animal history, showing how reproductive strategies and ecological structure influenced the pace of evolution before the Cambrian explosion.
Story chain
7 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 53m agoA new study suggests that early animals' asexual, clone-based reproduction limited dispersal, competition, and evolutionary pressures, delaying diversification during the Ediacaran Period.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 53m agoA new study in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that asexual, clone-based reproduction in early animals kept competition low and delayed evolution for millions of years.
- Health & Science3h 53m agoA new study on 574 million-year-old fossils suggests clone-based reproduction kept early animals stable until sexual reproduction boosted diversity, explaining a long pause in evolution.Open article
- Health & Science3h 53m agoA new analysis argues that the slow pace of early animal evolution was due to asexual reproduction, which limited dispersal, softened competition, and slowed evolutionary pressures.Open article
- Health & Science3h 53m agoA new study suggests that clone-based reproduction kept early animals stable until sexual reproduction boosted diversity, explaining a long pause in animal evolution.Open article
- Health & Science3h 53m agoA new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that the asexual reproduction of Earth's earliest animals delayed their evolution for millions of years.Open article
- Health & Science3h 53m agoA new analysis suggests that asexual reproduction in early animals, like those from 574 million years ago found at Mistaken Point, kept competition low and delayed evolution for millions of years.Open article