Short answers, pulled from the story.
The two forms of reproduction are asexual and sexual. In asexual reproduction, one organism creates a genetically similar or identical copy of itself without another organism. Sexual reproduction combines the genetic material of two organisms through meiosis and the fusion of gametes.
Sexual reproduction is a puzzle because it carries a two-fold cost: only 50 percent of organisms reproduce, and each organism passes on only 50 percent of its genes. It also requires far more energy than asexual reproduction and diverts organisms from other pursuits.
Mitosis occurs in somatic cells and produces twice the number of original cells, each with the same chromosome count as the parent. Meiosis occurs in gametes and produces four cells through two divisions, each with half the chromosomes of the parent.
K-selection produces few offspring with more resources devoted to each, as seen in the human and the northern gannet. R-selection produces many offspring, as seen in a fruit fly that can produce up to 900 offspring per year, though most do not survive to adulthood.
In 2023, Japanese scientists created mouse pups from two fathers that grew into adulthood. Earlier, in 2010, American scientists used genetically manipulated stem cells to produce viable mouse offspring carrying genetic contributions from two fathers.
The lottery principle is George C. Williams's analogy that asexual reproduction is like buying many tickets with the same number, while sexual reproduction is like buying fewer tickets with a greater variety of numbers and a greater chance of success. It is less accepted today because asexual reproduction is more prevalent in unstable environments, the opposite of what it predicts.