Sperm created in lab

Widespread coverage has been given to news of test tube sperm being grown in a laboratory. Many newspapers said the research raises hopes that “infertile men may one day be able to father their own biological children” (The Independent). Other newspapers discussed the ethical implications of the research, or asked if this was “the end of men?” (Daily Mirror).

This research is a long way from reaching a stage where sperm produced via this technique could be used to fertilise a human egg. Only a small number of sperm-like cells were produced, and this technique has so far used only stem cells from embryos, not cells from adult males. In addition, many experts have asked whether the sperm-like cells that were produced are actually functioning sperm. The researchers have responded by pointing out that the research was ´proof of principle´, and they will continue to develop this area of research.

The research is definitely a step forward in understanding reproductive biology and germ stem cell development, but it has limited immediate implications in the field of reproductive medicine and fertility treatment. Much more research into the medical, scientific and ethical issues surrounding this contentious issue is needed.

Full Document

Hmmmm

Hmmm ok, that sounds good but...who´s gonna open jars?!

heh heh

And who´s going to get things done  instead of simply talking about it?

Ermmm...??  The women as usual of course.  I´ve not met a man yet who can do something without days, weeks or even months of ´getting round to it´!  (except maybe in major emergency situations like getting the TV fixed in time for some important football/cricket/golf/whatever match! 

What a ridiculous proposition....a World Without Men...do I detect a little hostility here?

I´m shocked at the sexist comments here regarding males.  If the same things were being said about females, there would be an uproar!

"What´s good for the goose is good for the gander"

 Not quite sure where you are finding hostility in a tongue in cheek title to a document that (if you choose to read the document) is about a break through in male fertillity problems.....omg how controvertial!!

Seems the only hostility on this thread is coming from you.......apart from alpha´s threads do you actually like anything else?

It´s a stoning for you missy!

Ok, no more doubts

I think Alameda is the only one who took the "world without men" comment seriously. There´s a great Polish comedy folm called "Sexmission" (no, it´s not THAT kind of film so stop browsing p2p), it´s a comedy where 2 males get experimentally frozen and are to be defrosted in 3 years. Unfortunately due to a war it doesn´t happen until 50 years later. They wake up in a world without men and it´s just a prelude to 1.5hrs of continuous laughter

 Given the fact that there are 24,281 registered members of this site....and only a handfull ever post, I´m inclined to believe the "humor" was most probably lost on more than just me.  Belittling whole groups of people is not a source of humor to me.

However, regarding the original post about alternative treatments for male infertility, there is some pretty provocative research going on now.....not funny IMHO...

The team at the Tottori University in Japan, say they implanted the human cells responsible for producing sperm - spermatogonia - into rat and mice testes in August 1998.

In recent years, grafting of immature testicular tissue into immundeficient mice has been introduced as a strategy to grow and differentiate immature testicular tissue up to the stage of fertile sperm (Honaramooz et al., 2002; Schlatt et al., 1999). Similarly successful was the generation of sperm from xenografts of immature testes from hamster, monkey, bull, pig and cat in mouse hosts (Schlatt et al., 2002a; Snedaker et al., 2004; Honaramooz et al., 2004; Oatley et al., 2005). Spermatogenesis in a xenograft might provide a model for the study of human spermatogenesis and could represent an alternative approach for fertility preservation in cancer patients.

Are you a man or a mouse?

A leading fertility expert plans to produce human sperm using mice.

Roger Short, of the Royal Women´s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, hopes to transplant the germ cells that develop into sperm from human testes into a mouse.

Alameda, why is it always those "absent" that serve you as an excuse? Ok, you didn´t find that joke funny - no problem about that, I´m sure so did half of the Great Absent while another half gave a smirk

Sperm in mice? Sounds science-fiction to me! But I´m sure infertile couples will greatly appreciate any successful treatmet there might be. I have a friend after hysterectomy (sp?), she had it before 30 and still, 4 years later she cannot get over the fact she won´t have any children. I´m sure couples who have trouble conceiving think alike.

 Hey, I thought about buying this gadget..I pound it against the counter and take a towel and still can´t get those jars open at times.

 Save your money!  Just place a spoon under the rim of the lid, apply a little pressure to the handle and pop the seal.  Your jars will open easily.

 What a sad little world you inhabit

 Actually the reviews on Amazon.com were not that great.  If I were you, I´d save my money. ...that´s what I´m going to do...or find a better alternative...

"It was discouraging to see that others had a similar experience to mine. The product worked fine a few times, but after only a few jars the inner clamp broke. (I then opened the jar by hand, so it wasn´t the jar´s fault!) This happened on both the one I used and the one I bought for my mother.

Good idea but wait for a new, improved model.One Touch Jar Opener "

Metal part of the jar (the lid) expands and contracts more with temperature change compared to the glass body. A cold jar will be much harder to open because of the contracted lid. Warm the lid a little and it should open easily. Cheaper than getting a powered tool or keeping a husband as jar opener. Plus some guests may be impressed with your practical intelligence 

Trust a man to come up with a logical solution.   A few seconds with the lid under the hot tap should do the trick or you could try your hairdryer.  

I am with Elizabeth on the spoon method.

Works every time, and you dont need any hot water, so it still works if there is a water cut AND you don´t get wet when the water splashes off the jar lid and on to you.

 And what happens when the spoon slips?    Actually I think the vacuum inside the jar causes a suction effect which makes it difficult to open the first time.

What about bending my good spoon though?    Taking admins advice I think heating up a dish towel in the microwave would work.  I´ll try this technique and report back.

Bodes ill for women in a world without men if they can´t fight their way into a jar of pickles.

  One can only imagine what may follow that.....can´t we live in peace and harmony...or at least in the same world.  I for one would hate to see a world with one gender only. 

 How awful would that be

 Yes but always remember to use a towel when you open it, it would be kind of hot and burn your hand a bit after you warm it.

But im not sure about using the heat in that case, i wonder what would the scientist say ?! 

 Heating up a dish towel ?!

Normally wont work, needs to be more warmer than that to open the jar, but again i guess it depends on the jar after all !

Again...we would need to ask the scientists

A world of amoeba....?

Teas if you have to exert so much pressure that you bend your spoon then you will want to proceed to step two:

Hold jar in hand, walk to trash bin, toss jar in trash, go to store and purchase new jar.  You aren´t EVER gonna get that sucker open!   

This way looks easier - if you don´t have a ´Lord of the House´ around of course! (obviously doesn´t apply in Saudi Arabia )

 I think that would help in getting a good grip, but in the case of the actual contraction and expansion of the metal/glass it would not help.  Now if you used this solution in conjunction with heating the top, it seems pretty unbeatable.