Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > Chatter > General Discussion


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 07-10-2009, 05:09 AM   #1 (permalink)
Leaning against the -Sun-
 
little_tippler's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: on the other side
First Live Births from Artificial Sperm (mice) - Implications and Considerations

This was in the news yesterday and I found it very interesting. It brings up all sorts of questions and thoughts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Times Online
First Live Births from Artificial Sperm   click to show 

Link to article
I think this is a great development in terms of treating and understanding infertility. I have always found it concerning to hear reports about how infertility is on the rise, and wondered why that was. It doesn't seem to be stemming from a natural process. Sometimes I wonder whether it is nature telling us we need to slow down though. But, I can see how this is good for couples facing this reality.

It also makes me think about women who want to have kids but no guy to do it with. I'd say the majority of women wanting to have a child would rather have a partner who will stick around and be the child's father, but that failing, this seems like a good alternative. Uncomplicated. And like the article says, it's like mating with yourself. Easy. I like this option.

Of course the first reaction to this piece of news, in a workplace full of women, is 'great, soon we won't need men for anything anymore, not even to make babies!'. Haha laughs all around. But of course, this is said in jest. Men could say the same back - the article mentions that artificial eggs can also be produced. It's the final frontier.

It got me thinking. I love men. I would not want to do without them. I have only been romantically involved with a few, and as for male friends, there's only a few. But I love men. The thought of not having them in my life makes me sad.

So apart from finding this an interesting article, a worthy and commendable scientific development, it also makes me think about why I like men, despite all these possibilities of doing without them.

Women are always complaining about men. About their men more specifically also. About how the world would be better if we could live without them. But the reality is, we love men. Same as they love us. Would I want a man who is more like a woman, just because sometimes we don't get along? No. I'm sure most guys would say the same of the opposite situation. We drive each other nuts, in good, and in bad ways.

If you remove the necessity factor, what is left? I like how men are different from women, in many things. I like how they are soft and rough simultaneously, both physically and mentally. I like how a conversation with a man is different, because they think of things in a way most women don't. I like how they can give you a look and you know what you mean to them. I like how they are fascinated with a woman's body. I like being fascinated with their body. Is it entirely chemical? I'd like to think not. I like how I can connect with a man in a way I have never connected with a girlfriend, though I may love them equally.

I wonder what homossexuals would have to say about all this?

Just some thoughts I wanted to throw out there.
__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.


Fernando Pessoa, 1918
little_tippler is offline  
Old 07-10-2009, 06:35 AM   #2 (permalink)
Eat your vegetables
 
genuinegirly's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: Arabidopsis-ville
I am a bit concerned that the offspring had a shorter lifespan. There are definitely a lot of kinks to work out before this process can ethically be carried out on humans. I am excited by the idea. I am curious why, though, they jump to the conclusion that stem cells gathered from an adult could be functional when this uses embryonic stem cells. I'm not convinced that this will be a practical alternative for infertile or homosexual couples anytime soon.

I wouldn't want to limit the gene pool by attempting to make sperm from my genetic material. For the women who claim they now don't need men, I don't see why they're not just going to a sperm bank for a less expensive procedure.
__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy
genuinegirly is offline  
Old 07-10-2009, 06:58 AM   #3 (permalink)
Addict
 
DaniGirl's Avatar
 
Location: Fucking Utah...
Quote:
Originally Posted by genuinegirly View Post
I am a bit concerned that the offspring had a shorter lifespan. There are definitely a lot of kinks to work out before this process can ethically be carried out on humans.
Now I am a concerned that the offspring of these "artificial Sperm" would have any defects, it is way to soon to tell. We probably wont see the outcome in our life time, so don't worry about not having men we still need them. I wish they would work more on saving the people that are alive with stem cell research. They could save thousands of people from horrible deaths.

But all in all I think this is great. It would mean that couples with infertility issues have more options. And it also means that we can save animals that are becoming extinct.

So how would it actually work, would the baby get all the mothers genetics. Or could we make "smart sperm". Maybe even wipe out genetic problems before the baby is born.

DaniGirl is offline  
 

Tags
artificial sperm, infertility

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 04:19 AM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360