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| Science & Technology |
| Lab-made sperm could make men redundant.. |
| 2009-07-07 |
| Women who say they don't need a man may well be right -- after human sperm was created in the lab. The breakthrough could give hope to infertile couples and men left unable to have children after having cancer treatment. But don't worry guys, the scientists who created the sperm using stem cells don't plan to take you out of the baby-making process just yet. 'While we can understand some people may have concerns, this does not mean that humans can be produced in a dish and we have no intention of doing this,' said researcher Prof Karim Nayernia. 'The work is a way of investigating why some people are infertile and the reasons behind it. 'It could also allow men who are currently infertile the chance to have a child which is genetically their own but this will be many years away -- at least a decade.' While scientists at Newcastle University and the NorthEast England Stem Cell Institute insist 'fully mature, functional sperm' was produced, other experts cast doubt on their findings. Prof Azim Surani, from Cambridge University, described the lab samples as 'a long way from being authentic sperm cells'. And the MRC Institute of Medical Research said: 'Although they find some of the sperm cells have tails and can swim, this is not evidence of normality.' |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #4 Men are fun. Who'd want a world without them? As for lab-made sperm, Nature usually has good reasons for organizing things the way she does. We could all be like that mushroom mite which mates with sons never born, and gives birth to daughters who do the same. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-07-07 23:15 |
| #3 "Lab-made sperm could make men redundant." Nonsense. Labs would be absolutely no fun at all.... By the way, women who say they don't need men should live without them - completely. Why not? There are women doctors, dentists, mechanics, electricians, carpenters, firefighters, cops, pilots, farmers, truckers, even garbage haulers. You don't need men? Then get ALL your goods and services from women. Or STFU. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-07-07 20:29 |
| #2 Lab-made sperm could make men redundant.. But who'd take out the trash? Or kill spiders? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-07-07 19:19 |
| #1 Women who say they don't need a man may well be right..... Didn't even need a trek to the Midlands or a lab session. I never had a doubt! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-07-07 19:14 |