Lab Produces Sperm

[Janus]

Scientists have proved for the first time that sperm grown from embryonic stem cells can be used to produce offspring.
The discovery in mice could ultimately help couples affected by male fertility problems to conceive.

And by understanding embryo developmental processes better, a host of other diseases might be treated using stem cells, they say.

The study is published in the journal Developmental Cell.

'Lab-made sperm' fertility hope (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5166462.stm)

What do y'all think of this?

[Stormshield]

It means that soon we'll be able to literally manufacture babies! Or... well, perhaps we already can, I don't know... Fuck.

Soon we'll have "attack of the clones" but for real?

[Eleutherios]

Not really. At least for the forseeable future, it's still going to be much cheaper and easier to have sex than it is to manufacture sperm and artificially inseminate someone.

[Ali.Cat]

In the future, men with fertility problems might be able to have their own stem cells harvested using a simple testicular biopsy, matured in the lab and then transplanted back.



Or they could just adopt a baby.


At least for the forseeable future, it's still going to be much cheaper and easier to have sex than it is to manufacture sperm and artificially inseminate someone.

Agreed. Because people can just have sex, or adopt if they REALLY want children these labs seem to be a bit of a waste of money.

[elmo sez]

Exactly there are plenty of kids out their who need a good home ...what a fucking waste

[bcbm]

They can grow sperm without men now?


...


We're fucked! :unsure:

[TC]

Originally posted by [email protected] 10 2006, 07:54 PM
Not really. At least for the forseeable future, it's still going to be much cheaper and easier to have sex than it is to manufacture sperm and artificially inseminate someone.
lol well, presumably the people who would be using it would be couples who wanted to have kids where the male couldn't produce sperm (which according to the article is actually quite common)...i'm sure fertile couples who want to have kids would prefer to just have sex lol.

[encephalon]

Nobody's mentioned the fact that the working class wouldn't be able to afford this procedure, if it became prevalent, any more than they can really afford artificial insemination. Are you aware that artificial insemination costs about 20,000 USD? Just imagine the costs this would entail.

My guess is that it will become the domain of bourgeoisie breeding habits, while the working class continues to suffer every congenital disorder for which it can't afford treatment. And so the working joes and jans with a single fucked-up gene won't be able to procreate, while the bourgeoisie joes and jans will simply buy their way to procreation.

That is, until revolution. But I don't see that happening before this becomes a common procedure. Also, the disreagrds the working joes and working joes together; as well as jans and jans.

Actually.. I wonder if a female egg could be created in the same fashion from a stem-cell line of a gay man, and then inseminated by the said homosexual's partner? I know that stem cells are generated during the birth process, for the most part.. but it would be intersting to see whether the RNA/DNA of another could be injected into the stem cell, resulting in a stem-cell line of an entirely different set of genes. It could, in essence, allow two males or two females to breed.

Although, once again, this wouldn't be available to the working class for quite some time.

[Janus]

Although, once again, this wouldn't be available to the working class for quite some time.
Definitely not.

This research is supposed to help treat men with infertility problems rather than just using it solely for artificial insemination. Only the wealthy could really afford this and it is still in the testing phase right now.

[TC]

Why? The only cost is labor (lab time) not material, costs are highly inflated in capitalist medicine but in a better medical system like Cuba's it would probably be useful to people who needed it.

I don't think we should attack medical research because of the percieved costs when those costs are artificially created by profit driven medicine.

[Janus]

I'm not attacking it. I'm just saying that most of these procedures are mainly available to the wealthy.

Again, this process is still in the testing phase and so far hasn't worked all that well.

[LSD]

Although, once again, this wouldn't be available to the working class for quite some time.

That depends on the health system in question.

And regardless of any access problems, any medical advance is ultimately a good thing. Sure, for now, it will be easier for the wealthy to take advantage of this procedure, but then that's true of everything in capitalism.

What really matters here is not that sperm cells will be easier to make (although that's obviously good news for anyone having trouble producing them), but rather that we are becoming more and more adept at manipulating stem cells; and that's in everyone's interest.

[Entrails Konfetti]

Well I can give ppl sperm for free, like in a jar or something...
:swimmy:

[Janus]

Well I can give ppl sperm for free, like in a jar or something...
:swimmy:
:lol:
But these people want their children to look like them...

[Delta]

Originally posted by EL [email protected] 11 2006, 08:18 AM
Well I can give ppl sperm for free, like in a jar or something...
:swimmy:
Seriously, mankind's sperm production capabilities far outweigh our current demand.

[Avtomatov]

I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION. Does this meen we can take a womans stem cells and make sperm?!?!?!

[VermontLeft]

Probably. ;) I guess yall really arent needed after all! :lol:

seriously thoguh, this is really probably a good thing. i mean its not like this is essential medicine, but whatever, any advance is a good thing. like LSD said, just one more step towards the really important stem cell stuff! :)

[Avtomatov]

it would be neat if we could make men have eggs.

[Jazzratt]

And keep the baby in a box perhaps?

[ack]

Originally posted by [email protected] 11 2006, 06:25 AM
My guess is that it will become the domain of bourgeoisie breeding habits, while the working class continues to suffer every congenital disorder for which it can't afford treatment. And so the working joes and jans with a single fucked-up gene won't be able to procreate, while the bourgeoisie joes and jans will simply buy their way to procreation.
I highly doubt that. But based on what you said, this scene just ran through my mind:
Rich Wife: Let's have a baby.
Rich Husband: Okay, take your clothes off, and let's go.
Rich Wife: No, I want to spend obscene amounts of money to be artificially impregnated and never have sex, like, ever.
Rich Husband: Well, shit.

[Janus]

Does this meen we can take a womans stem cells and make sperm?!?!?!
I think so. Stem cells can be used to make any other type of cell.

[Pawn Power]

Stem cells will bascially save the world.

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12 2006, 04:26 PM
it would be neat if we could make men have eggs.
See the movie "Nine Months," starring Arnold Schwartzenegger as the pregnant man.

[Avtomatov]

this is neat maybe we can make nanotechnology in a female to male transexuals penis, and then they can have children!!!

too bad it would probably be ALOT harder to let male to female transexuals give birth.

[Kaboly]

Soon we'll have "attack of the clones" but for real?



-I agree, with this technology growing and advancing everyday imagine the bourgeoisie one day manufacturing labourers and workers without biological parents in labs at an accelerated rate to do their bidding while the rest of the authentic people are left with fuck all to do but die. They would expel the old proletriat for a new and disposable form of working class. The powers that be seem to always find a way to manufacture consent.......On the other hand it could create a different situation where all authentic people become part of the bourgeoisie, and the manufactured people become the workers and lower class of society, but this still leaves an exploited class of people.

-On a more realistic note, if this stem cell research can help all people with health issues, then great, but this world is already way too overpopulated and if a person wants a child but cannot have one, their are plenty of children that already need homes, infact anyone looking to have kids should adopt. And please don't give me that bull shit about people wanting their child to be of their own blood, like how goddamn selfish is that, blood is just blood it does not constitute a family, we are all equal.

[Physco Bitch]

This sounds all a bit freaky to me. Then again it will be good for couples in who's oppnioun it is worth spending a lot of money on something that could fail. In my opnioun as upsetting as it is to think you may never have kids - there is still thousonds of kids looking for good homes, how would probabaly be a dream come true for them to get adopted (or fostered) by a family who would really care for them and treat them the way children are suppose to be treated. Instead we will force them to be pushed from pilliar to post, while the rest want to get there own genes out into this already over populated world.