Finally, the truth about barnacle sex is revealed

Genetic analysis shows that the sessile crustaceans can broadcast sperm in water

Confounding more than a century of received wisdom about crustacean sex, genetic tests show that at least one kind of barnacle can transfer sperm without making direct contact via their famously extendable parts.

Among a dense crowd of Pollicipes polymerus gooseneck barnacles, scientists found one leaking sperm (center).