Parthenogenetic reproduction is a fascinating, complex topic. This article accompanies “Why Meiosis Matters: The case of the fatherless snake.” It summarizes the basic information an introductory biology or genetics instructor would need to get up to speed in this area. INTRODUCTIONSex is the norm…or is it?Sexual reproduction has an ancient evolutionary history, perhaps arising concomitantly with the evolution of eukaryotic cells (1). As a result, most eukaryotic organisms existing today reprodu…