Parthenogenesis is a form of reproduction in which an embryo is conceived and develops in a female without male fertilization.
It has been observed naturally occurring in reptiles, birds, other species.
It has never been reported naturally occurring in a mammal, let alone a human.
But it is theoretically possible. And it is not at all illogical or irrational to believe that the virgin birth did happen as the Gospels report.
Parthenogenesis is a form of reproduction in which an embryo is conceived and develops in a female without male fertilization.
It has been observed naturally occurring in reptiles, birds, other species.
It has never been reported naturally occurring in a mammal, let alone a human.
That may not be entirely true. It is exceedingly rare but apparently does occur.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/sex2.htm
“There is some evidence, however, that natural parthenogenesis does occasionally occur in humans. There are many instances in which impregnation has allegedly taken place in women without there being any possibility of the semen entering the female genital passage [2]. In some cases it was found either in the course of pregnancy or at the time of childbirth that the female passages were obstructed. In 1956 the medical journal Lancet published a report concerning 19 alleged cases of virgin birth among women in England, who were studied by members of the British Medical Association. The six-month study convinced the investigators that human parthenogenesis was physiologically possible and had actually occurred in some of the women studied [3].”
Lancet. 1956 Jun 30;270(6931):1071-2.Links
Parthenogenesis in human beings.
BALFOUR-LYNN S.
Also...
Mature ovarian cystic teratoma with a highly differentiated homunculus: A case report
[...]In this report, we document a case in which the solid portion of an ovarian teratoma demonstrated considerable differentiation, forming a doll-like structure.
A 25-year-old virginal Japanese woman underwent surgery for an ovarian tumor that was diagnosed as a mature teratoma. A solid mass within the tumor was found to have a head, trunk, and extremities. Consequently, this mass was diagnosed as a mature fetiform teratoma (homunculus). Brain, eye, spinal nerve, ear, teeth, thyroid gland, bone, bone marrow, gut, trachea, blood vessels, and phallic cavernous tissue were confirmed microscopically. Distinctive features were the clear anterior-posterior, ventral-dorsal, and left-right axes, with a spatially well-organized arrangement of the organs. An eye was located on the front of the head, a spinal nerve lay dorsal to the spinal bones, the thyroid gland was anterior to the trachea, and the gut was deep inside the trunk.