Sea Urchins

Some of the earliest inducible parthenogenetic experiments were the creation of Jacques Loeb (1858-1924). While he worked with sea urchins, many of his hypotheses are consistent with modern applications to vertebral species.

Loeb's largest breakthrough involves the use of a chemical mechanism to disrupt the outer layer of the egg. He found that sea urchin eggs exposed to Magnesium Chloride begin to show signs of parthenogenesis.

Later experiments confirmed that, across many species, a change in the concentration of calcium surrounding the cells can trigger a change in chemical and electrical signals. This leads to the activation of the oocyte in the absence of typical sperm induced fertilization. [F]