An additional advantage of asexual reproduction is that colonization of new habitats may be easier when an individual does not need to find a mate to reproduce. During sexual reproduction the genetic material of two individuals is combined to produce genetically diverse offspring that differ from their parents.
A disadvantage is that sexual reproduction takes longer than asexual reproduction. A mate must be found, the egg must be fertilised by sperm, and then the offspring develop. The benefit of introducing genetic variation into the species , however, outweighs this disadvantage.
Galileo disproved the Ptolemaic theory, sanctioned for centuries by the Church, which held the Earth to be the central and principal object in the universe, about which all celestial objects orbited.
