Richard E. Michod, in The Sciences (May-June 1989), 2 E. 63rd St. New York, N.Y. 10131- Makes Sense 0191.
To scientists, it has never been very obvi- The cells that create eggs or sperm un- ous why so many species, from yeasts to dergo a process called meiosis. Each cell's humans, engage in sexual reproduction. chromosomes line up and exchange
After all, it consumes a great deal of genes, then divide. The result: two egg (or time and energy. It isn't any fun for most sperm) cells, each with only...