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Human Sperm Produced In the Laboratory

Posted by timothy on from the that's-not-starting-from-scratch dept.

duh P3rf3ss3r writes "The BBC is carrying a report from a team of researchers at Newcastle University who claim to have developed a the first 'artificial' human sperm from stem cells. The research, reported in the journal Stem Cells and Development, involved selecting meristematic germ cells from a human embryonic stem cell culture and inducing meiosis, thus producing a haploid gamete. The authors claim that the resulting sperm are fully formed, mature, human sperm cells but the announcement has been greeted with mixed reaction from colleagues who claim the procedure is ethically questionable and that the gametes produced are of inferior levels of maturation."

6 of 368 comments (clear)

  1. So what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's the big deal? I generate human sperm at least once a day and I don't even need a laboratory.

  2. Misread by StDoodle · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is it any surprise that, with such an article, I had to do a double-take to properly read "...inferior levels of maturation."

  3. It's about time... by Tenek · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally, this will address the critical shortage of sperm we face today.

  4. This story is just too hard to swallow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I couldn't resist.

  5. One upped by psychicninja · · Score: 5, Funny
    Man, this kind of beats the story I was just about to submit:

    Human Sperm Produced In The Lavatory

  6. Huge waste of tax dollars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We give these scientists grant money to build labs to work on scientific discoveries. And they turn around and spend all day masturbating in the labs!