Facultative sex allows some animals to reproduce with or without a partner. So why can’t humans do it?
- Written by Lucinda Aulsebrook, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Marine Ecology and Environmental Change Lab, James Cook University

If you’ve ever had a spiny leaf insect as a pet, or you’re considering getting one, hopefully someone has warned you about this: if you put one in your enclosure, you might come back some time later to find two.
How?
These animals are among a handful of species that can choose to reproduce sexually or asexually....