New Research Shows You Can Grow Sperm In a Dish (sciencemag.org) 158
sciencehabit writes: How the male body produces sperm has long been hidden inside its genitalia. Trying to recreate the process in a lab for humans and other mammals has led to many failures - sperm development appeared to be dependent on unique conditions in the testes. But a new technique may finally be bringing that process into the open. A team of Chinese researchers reports turning a dish of a certain type of mouse stem cell into spermlike cells, which were then used to fertilize eggs and produce healthy mouse pups. The approach could help researchers study mammalian sperm development more directly, and it could spur efforts to develop treatments for male infertility in people.
No more domestic violence (Score:1)
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For Great Social Justice!
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Why? (Score:5, Funny)
I produce plenty, don't need a dish, only a web connection.
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Not for a biologist.
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This could lead to the grossest science fair projects yet!
"But Doug, the lab-grown meat booth doesn't even have Hollandaise sauce!"
Re:Sex bots (Score:4, Insightful)
The 3rd-wave feminists need men urgently as the suppressed class that works for them and fulfills all their needs. As none of them have any actual skills besides grandstanding and claiming to be victims and bossing others around, they would just die on their own, like any other parasitic life-form.
Of course, they do not want to pay with sex for all that either, so I really do not see why they are opposed to sex-bots and porn in the first place. May just be a result of general stupidity and inability to connect causes and effects.
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The sentiment is appreciated...
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Sex bots? As soon as a robot can kill a spider in a bathtub, it's all over for penile-Americans.
Why is this a good thing? (Score:1)
>> it could spur efforts to develop treatments for male infertility in people. ...because the one thing this planet needs is even more humans?
Re:Why is this a good thing? (Score:5, Insightful)
>> it could spur efforts to develop treatments for male infertility in people. ...because the one thing this planet needs is even more humans?
A few years of unsuccessfully trying to have a baby would change your opinion and attitude on the subject.
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So adopt. Plenty of kids out there who could use a good home. I have several friends who've done cross-racial adoption too... there's no reason your kids need to look like you.
Re:Why is this a good thing? (Score:5, Insightful)
"A few years of unsuccessfully trying to have a baby would change your opinion and attitude on the subject."
It's just hormones pumped into your body by your genes who want to replicate. Since we know that, you can easily overcome the need, since it's not _you_ wanting this unpaid job for decades.
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Nope. I'd get the hint that its natural selection in action.
Re:Why is this a good thing? (Score:4, Insightful)
>> it could spur efforts to develop treatments for male infertility in people. ...because the one thing this planet needs is even more humans?
A few years of unsuccessfully trying to have a baby would change your opinion and attitude on the subject.
A few successes might change yours.
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>> it could spur efforts to develop treatments for male infertility in people. ...because the one thing this planet needs is even more humans?
A few years of unsuccessfully trying to have a baby would change your opinion and attitude on the subject.
A few successes might change yours.
Awesome when a post is interesting, insightful. and funny at the same time. Well played sir, well played indeed!
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Don't make me Godwin you, because, so help me, I'll do it!
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Sorry but I believe that its in humanity's best interests that we shouldn't try and work around the little natural selection that we haven't already circumvented.
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You assume humans are rational. Most are not and are great big narcissists in addition. Those with reproductive problems that are rational refrain from giving their children even worse problems than they themselves have and adopt or do without children.
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Well, the planet doesn't need more humans, but each generation of humans needs the next generation of humans to take care of it in their senescence. Not that there's likely to be a shortage of new humans in any case.
On the flip side curing infertility isn't going to make any measurable or perceptible difference in population growth. For that there are two extremely powerful and effective cures: (1) raising the level of economic security so people don't try to procreate their way to a secure old age and (2)
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Nobody knows whether it's possible.
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In the developed world, birth rates are fairly stable (ie every 2 people have less than 2 babies each on average). So the only over-population problem is people in poor countries breeding like rabbits.
or... (Score:2)
perhaps one of the male lab assistants had a sense of humour and was left alone in the lab for a while.
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If he's making mouse sperm, it's a major discovery.
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We don't have to imagine. We've already seen the first human-rodent hybrid:
http://inthesetimes.com/images... [inthesetimes.com]
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Indeed. We could finally make true human-mouse hybrids for those that want offspring, but without all the hassle of human children!
Men No Longer Needed (Score:1)
Well guys, it took millions of years but we're finally redundant.
Re:Men No Longer Needed (Score:4, Funny)
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Nah, they'll still need someone to get the lids off jars and kill spiders.
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What's that whooshing sound I hear?
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The only reason females of our species haven't done away with us already, is that we were the only route for children. If we lose that, there is no way they'll put up with us any longer. We're doomed, I tell you, doomed !
That and the fact we can smash them if they step out of line.
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The only reason females of our species haven't done away with us already, is that we were the only route for children. If we lose that, there is no way they'll put up with us any longer. We're doomed, I tell you, doomed !
What makes you think that men currently *are* the only route for children? A single man, throughout his life, can provide sperm cells for hundreds of thousands of women, yet we haven't gotten to that state yet?
The ability to grow sperm cells won't suddenly make women think "Oh - I don't need a man to have a child" because they already have that option, and yet are not choosing it.
Only good for opening jars (Score:2)
And fixing the washing machine. That's about it guys. Other than that we are no longer needed by women.
Us guys need to get Boston Dynamics to develop the ultimate sex-bot, and then men and women can forevermore go their separate ways....
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And fixing the washing machine. That's about it guys. Other than that we are no longer needed by women.
Us guys need to get Boston Dynamics to develop the ultimate sex-bot, and then men and women can forevermore go their separate ways....
Ah, the givers of pain and delight...
You can't live with them and apparently (w/o advanced technology), you can't live w/o them.
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Yeah, I feel pretty secure.
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If my wife had to pay the mortgage – on her income alone–– Yeah, I feel pretty secure.
You do realize just how pathetic what you just wrote is, don't you?
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Sometimes the truth hurts! And get a sense of humor. Ever hear of "black humor." Yeah, it's a thing. Look it up. Also sarcasm.
Oh, I got's me a sense of hoomer. You're still kinda pathetic. I mean that in the nicest way possible.
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Have no fear, we are still valued for our different approach to problem solving and directness. My friend resigned from an all-female office job after she got sick of all the gossiping and backstabbing going on. In her next job she specifically asked in the interview if there were men on the team.
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Smart lady.
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Never heard of a vasectomy, have you? If you don't want to father kids, then it's your responsibility to ensure it doesn't happen, not hers.
Sounds like a good argument against abortion too.
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Yep - all those fundies who are against abortion need to get their tubes snipped (male AND female. We don't need any more Duggar clans.
Actually all those *women* who don't want abortions should get their tubes snipped - men get no say in abortion.
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Never heard of a vasectomy, have you? If you don't want to father kids, then it's your responsibility to ensure it doesn't happen, not hers.
If she doesn't want to have kids, then it's her responsibility to ensure it doesn't happen - I don't know when she ovulates, she does.
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You miss the point - even if she wants kids, you still have the option of not having any by a simple snip-snip. After all, you might not know when she ovulates, but you know when you cum, and the potential consequences. And you know what we call people who use ovulation date as a birth control method? Parents.
Even if I want kids, she still has more options than I do: she can snip, use an IUD, take a pill, refuse sex-without-a-condom, take a morning after pill or, as a final resort, terminate.
She has three more options than I do, so why are you stating that's its the guys responsibility? Are you presuming that all women are too stupid to practice birth control, hence the guy must practice abstinence? Why not ask the female to practice abstinence?
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Bullshit. You are responsible.for your sperm. If you don't want kids, it is only your responsibility because it your body. Same with women, it is their body, their choices, if she doesn't
Why should someone else be responsible for your fertility? Also, if you can't control yourself, go fap yourself looking at porn. Problem solved. Or get ready to pay child support for the next couple of decades. Your decision. A woman isn't just a bucket for your cum. You sound like a horny teenager. Grow up, because right
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Bullshit. You are responsible.for your sperm. If you don't want kids, it is only your responsibility because it your body. Same with women, it is their body, their choices, if she doesn't
Why should someone else be responsible for your fertility?
You deny women agency over their own body. If they get pregnant, you say it can't be their responsibility.
Also, if you can't control yourself, go fap yourself looking at porn. Problem solved. Or get ready to pay child support for the next couple of decades. Your decision. A woman isn't just a bucket for your cum. You sound like a horny teenager. Grow up, because right now you don't need to worry about birth control - your personality is more than sufficient.
Jokes on you. Since this year I've got custody and she's paying me child support. By what you just said, if she didn't want to be on the hook for child support she should have just kept her legs closed or used a vibrator, right? She should have controlled herself if she didn't want to pay child support, right?
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Fuck you, troll. I also said that women have control of their body and their choices. Grow up (oops - too late). The courts will say it's both your responsibilities, so both of you pay, and that's how it should be.
And yes, if she didn't want this to happen, she could have told you to go screw yourself instead of sleeping with you. Or just demonstrated better taste in men.
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Fuck you, troll. I also said that women have control of their body and their choices. Grow up (oops - too late). The courts will say it's both your responsibilities, so both of you pay, and that's how it should be.
That s quite a change from your oft-pronounced usual opinion. You always say it's the man's responsibility for kids, you even repeat that opinion in this thread.
And yes, if she didn't want this to happen, she could have told you to go screw yourself instead of sleeping with you. Or just demonstrated better taste in men.
This may or may not come as a surprise to you, but women in general have the freedom to sleep with whoever they want to. Trying to slut-shame them when they favour men like me is bound to backfire.
Besides, I've been married more than once, to beautiful and highly qualified women. It's a fantasy of yours that someone like me begs for sex.
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I never said that, asshole. I said that if a man doesn't want kids, he has to take precautions, same as the woman. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Never said anyone couldn't sleep with anyone else, except kids and people who don't want to sleep with them. However, your attitude that it's the woman who should bear all the responsibility is misogynistic. That you don;t see it just means that you're an asshole.
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I never said that, asshole. I said that if a man doesn't want kids, he has to take precautions, same as the woman. The two are not mutually exclusive.
This is my post that you disagreed with upthread:
If she doesn't want to have kids, then it's her responsibility to ensure it doesn't happen
Good thing slashdot doesn't allow editing of posts, it's still for you to read.
Never said anyone couldn't sleep with anyone else, except kids and people who don't want to sleep with them.
No, you hypocrite, you just judged them for their sexual choices when you said:
Or just demonstrated better taste in men.
You want to be judged for your sexual choices? You think slut-shaming I a good thing?
However, your attitude that it's the woman who should bear all the responsibility is misogynistic. T
I never said nor implied that. I said women have more options. I never said that it's the women's responsibility, I repeatedly pointed out that the women simply have more options. That's a fact.
hat you don;t see it just means that you're an asshole.
I might be an asshole, but
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Same as the rest of your post is also garbage and lies.
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There are SEVEN BILLION of us already here, and we are adding TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND more people, EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY!!!!
ENOUGH!
I think I have identified the problem :-)
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Oh, so you're where all those old mouse balls went...
Takes the men out of the equation (Score:1)
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This is probably a great thing for lesbian couples trying to conceive. No more going to sperm bank and picking out some random stranger to be the father of your kids. Now just make sperm from your partners stem cells.
Or single women who want to marry themselves [wikipedia.org]...
Why would such a woman want to have any random child, if they could have themselves as a child?
Maybe we should stop this line of discussion before George Lucas's lawyers start chiming in...
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They can already create a new (female) child out of just two eggs.. Heck, that was from the 80s, likely on "That's Incredible".
grow your own evidence (Score:2)
I can't wait (Score:3)
I, for one, welcome the new tidal wave of science fiction, social justice flamewars, and legislation that follows this. This is so promising, I may buy popcorn futures.
Mz. Sheldon [depauw.edu], your future has arrived.
Worrying (Score:2)
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No real problem. Most women are actually fine with how things are set up gender-wise. A minority of loud female fascists does not a real problem make. May just take a while for the rest to wise up about them.
And Donald Trump can't win... (Score:2)
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That's ok cause there is a strand within humanism that follow the three rules: 1. Women are Evil 2. Men are Stupid 3. Beer is Good
Todd Rundgren said (sang) it best [youtube.com]...
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Oh, some psychiatrists said so? Okay then.
Let me know when the geneticists and neuroscientists have something to show on the topic.
They already have weighed in as well, and they're on board. Don't believe it - do your own research. Go suck wind, pound sand, or whatever ignorant losers like you do.
Have you looked in my fridge?!?? (Score:2)
You can grow ANYTHING in a dish!
Does this require the Y chromosome? (Score:1)
If this doesn't require the Y chromosome, then it could pave the way for female-only reproduction.
I'm male, but I have no qualms with the continuation of our species being without the Y chromosome (males). It's not an affront to my gender identity to wonder if the future would be better off that way. I'm not talking about killing off the males; just not making any more.
We should keep some male sperm frozen behind a glass door: "Break in case of extreme reproductive emergency."
in vitro breeding (livestock, pets, conservation) (Score:2)
Our Ford (Score:1)
Wonderful (Score:2)
Millions of babies without fathers is just what the world needs.
Re:Wonderful (Score:4, Insightful)
Helping the machines (Score:2)
Good, by the time the machines rule humans, we'll have all of that information on how to clone human batteries ready for them.
Not new (Score:2)
A google search for sperm in a dish shows a huge number of links for
Pfft. Amateurs! (Score:2)
I can grow sperm!
No dish required!
Coming to a take-away near you (Score:2)
Well, I knew that the Chinese have some exotic things on the menu, but this one is a bit novel, all the same.
Sperm in a dish eh? (Score:2)
I read that as Spam (Score:1)
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A woman at that point could possibly get sperm from a man without his consent or knowledge and then use that child as a golden ticket against them.
There was a Law & Order episode about EXACTLY this!