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Lab-grown sperm and eggs just a few years away, scientists say (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 4 months ago by babysandpiper@sopuli.xyz to c/science@lemmy.world

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Quest to create viable human sex cells in lab progressing rapidly, with huge implications for reproduction

Scientists are just a few years from creating viable human sex cells in the lab, according to an internationally renowned pioneer of the field, who says the advance could open up biology-defying possibilities for reproduction.

Speaking to the Guardian, Prof Katsuhiko Hayashi, a developmental geneticist at the University of Osaka, said rapid progress is being made towards being able to transform adult skin or blood cells into eggs and sperm, a feat of genetic conjury known as in-vitro gametogenesis (IVG).

His own lab is about seven years away from the milestone, he predicts. Other frontrunners include a team at the University of Kyoto and a California-based startup, Conception Biosciences, whose Silicon Valley backers include the OpenAI founder, Sam Altman and whose CEO told the Guardian that growing eggs in the lab “might be the best tool we have to reverse population decline” and could pave the way for human gene editing.

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[-] School_Lunch@lemmy.world 63 points 4 months ago

I'll never understand people who complain about population decline. It's a good thing. There are too many people here already. My thought on reading the headline was that it could be used in a different way. Everyone could be voluntarily sterilized, and then when they are ready and willing to have a kid they could use this new method to produce sex cells. No more unwanted pregnancies.

[-] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 107 points 4 months ago

Population decline is not a problem for humanity. It is a problem for capitalism.

[-] DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Even worse they're probably looking at the projection and seeing a loss of revenue directly related to population rates. They want more sheep to feed their money making systems.

[-] Onyxonblack@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 months ago

Well of course

[-] IhaveCrabs111@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

People would have lots of kids if each subsequent child didn’t make their existing family’s life much more difficult

[-] iopq@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

People used to have 5+ kids and it was considered fine. It's a cultural thing.

[-] IhaveCrabs111@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

The culture is linked to the income. People have more kids in poorer countries because they typically don’t have a social safety net so the only way to survive in old age is by having lots of children. When the countries become richer and get social security they start having less kids, especially when kids become a financial burden

[-] iopq@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

You're right, we need to dismantle the social safety net

[-] IhaveCrabs111@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

I’m sure many people would see it like this

[-] 4am@lemmy.zip 11 points 4 months ago

Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea. Let’s put the reproductive future of the species under commercial and/or governmental control.

Both of those things are demonstrably trustworthy, especially in the last decade.

We should cede all control to them. Indeed.

(/s)

Are you a young naive tech bro, or a Nazi Eugenicist? Is there a difference anymore? Have you even thought about what you are saying? That’s an insane take.

[-] School_Lunch@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago

Um I never said anything about giving control to anyone... in fact I specifically said "voluntarily"... you seem like an angry person who is looking for things to be mad about. I'm not sure how you jumped to calling me a nazi.

I have thought about what I'm saying, have you? Unwanted pregnancies are something that by definition nobody wants. All I said was that this could be a way to address that, and you took that simple idea and ran to crazy town with it.