Scientists use skin cells to create artificial sperm and eggs

[IDemo]

Source: The Guardian

Scientists have made primitive forms of artificial sperm and eggs in a medical feat that could transform the understanding of age-related diseases and fertility problems.

Researchers in Cambridge made the early-stage sex cells by culturing human embryonic stem cells under carefully-controlled conditions for a week.

They followed the success by showing that the same procedure can convert adult skin tissue into precursors for sperm and eggs, raising the prospect of making sex cells that are genetically matched to patients.

The cells should have the potential to grow into mature sperm and eggs, though this has never been done in the lab before. The next step for the researchers will be to inject the cells into mouse ovaries or testes to see if they fully develop in the animals.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/24/science-skin-cells-create-artificial-sperm-eggs

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

1. Something about this makes me squirm.

[eggplant]

2. Just like the little sperms! :-)

[bluevoter4life]

3. A Conservative ' s dream come true

Procreation without all that pesky, nasty sex to get in the way.

[Posteritatis]

4. They'd hate the idea

Leaving aside the whole "omg playing god" squick reaction (though that's all across the spectrum), half of them still associate anything like this with mandatory mass abortions, plus lots of babbling about how it undermines the sacred role of women as incubators whenever the menfolk so desire, rather than as people.

[Laffy Kat]

5. This will end with zombies. I just know it.

[rafeh1]

6. if skin cells can be converted to eggs

then men can create eggs rather than sperm.

can also lead to eggs and sperm created from same stock creating a new person who is 100% related to the donor yet not a clone

brave new world

[jmowreader]

9. I had an interesting thought...

Consider transsexuals. An FTM can't currently be the biological father, nor an MTF the biological mother. With this technology and a surrogate to carry the child to term, they could be.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

7. yum!, now we can feed the world spam and eggs for breakfast.

Oh wait!

[Crowman1979]

8. The last thing this world needs is to find ways to have more kids.

Last time I checked the population was over seven BILLION! Yet scientists are concentrating on this more than a cure for AIDS.

[Posteritatis]

11. Because all scientists are specialized virologists, right? (nt)

[Kennah]

10. I use the skin cells of my palm to create natural sperm

[rug]

12. Where's the fun in that?

[chrisa]

13. If you create a sperm and egg from the same person and create a child,

is that child also you? Hmm...