Female sperm and male egg

[vgane]

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WOW, What a great possibility...Looks like the frontiers of science are ever expansive like our own Universe!

'Female sperm' & 'male eggs' a possibility
PTI | Aug 24, 2013, 07.25 AM IST

LONDON: Researchers have suggested that it may be possible in the future to create sperm from women and eggs from men - a feat, that if achieved, could revolutionize infertility treatments.


Katsuhiko Hayashi of Kyoto University in Japan and his senior professor Mitinori Saitou used skin cells from mice to create primordial germ cells or PGCs. PGCs are the common precursor of both male and female sex cells. These cells were then developed into both sperm and eggs. Scientists used these to create live-births via in-vitro fertilization.

The technique offers numerous possibilities for reproductive medicine. It may allow infertile women to have babies by creating eggs from their skin cells, and also make it possible for sperm and eggs cells to be created from either males or females, 'The Independent' reported. In the technique, pluripotent stem cells were extracted from early-stage embryos and somatic cells, and were then converted into PGCs using signalling molecules. These germ cells were transplanted into the ovaries and testes of living mice to develop. Once these cells were mature they were extracted and used to fertilise one another in vitro.

The initial research took place in October last year, with researchers claiming that the live-births were merely a 'side effect' of the research to demonstrate that the creation of PGCs had been successful.

Other researchers have replicated the production of PGCs but could not succeed in producing live births. The scientists involved also have many other hurdles to overcome including the production of 'fragile' and 'misshapen' eggs, wrote David Cyranoski in 'Scientific American'.

The Japanese team is now working on monkey embryos and believe they could repeat the mouse work in monkeys within 5-10 years, with the creation of human PGCs following shortly after.

While making PGCs for infertility treatment will be a huge jump, many scientists are urging caution as embryonic stem cells frequently pick up chromosomal abnormalities, genetic mutations and epigenetic irregularities during culture. Hayashi has also said that a viable infertility treatment could be 10 or even 50 years in the future. "My impression is that it is very far away. I don't want to give people unfeasible hope," he said.

 

[auh]

I feel that it is against nature; when role reversal at the genetic level is done, perhaps abnormalities may increase?

 

[sravna]

Agree with Shri.Auh. We will be creating only more problems

 

[vgane]

Agree with Shri.Auh. We will be creating only more problems

Dear Shri Sravna,

Let us take the case of test tube babies...When the first Test tube baby was conceived in 1978 through IVF (In vitro fertilization) the world was aghast...Is it moral to conceive life outside the womb..But this has given life to 5 million babies around the world till date..About 350000 babies are conceived in petri dishes every year..It has given anew lease of life to infertile couples..For them it is their child whatever may be the route

The new technique of creating PGC is essentially a boon for infertility treatment..May be it needs refinement...It needs to overcome several risks associated with it..But several years down, may be, we acknowledge its beneficial role

 

[sravna]

Dear Shri Sravna,

Let us take the case of test tube babies...When the first Test tube bby was conceived in 1978 through IVF (In vitro fertilization) the world was aghast...Is it moral to conceive life outside the womb..But this has given life to 5 million babies around the world till date..About 350000 babies are conceived in petri dishes..It has given anew lease of life to infertile couples..For them it is their child whatever may be the route

The new technique of creating PGC is essentially a boon for infertility treatment..May be it needs refinement...It needs to overcome several risks associated with it..But several years down, may be, we acknowledge its beneficial role

Dear Shri Vgane,

Actually at the deeper level of a soul there is no difference for example there is no male soul or a female soul Probably this only attests to that fact. But I think nature has a reason for sperms coming from a male body and egg belonging to the female body. We really do not know what the holistic picture is and how this may impact us in the long run. We only keep analyzing finer and finer and in the process I think are missing the big picture.

We have to know that we are indeed doing the right thing by following a higher level understanding of the field. I think we need to have a complete view first before we go into deep analysis.

 

[palindrome]

But I think nature has a reason for sperms coming from a male body and egg belonging to the female body. We really do not know what the holistic picture is and how this may impact us in the long run. We only keep analyzing finer and finer and in the process I think are missing the big picture.

We were created after a great deal of experimentation. We create after a great deal of experimentation. We are not any different from nature.

Creation by/in nature is far from perfect. 'Holistic' in the context above may be a non sequitur.

 

[prasad1]

Dear Shri Sravna,

Let us take the case of test tube babies...When the first Test tube baby was conceived in 1978 through IVF (In vitro fertilization) the world was aghast...Is it moral to conceive life outside the womb..But this has given life to 5 million babies around the world till date..About 350000 babies are conceived in petri dishes every year..It has given anew lease of life to infertile couples..For them it is their child whatever may be the route

The new technique of creating PGC is essentially a boon for infertility treatment..May be it needs refinement...It needs to overcome several risks associated with it..But several years down, may be, we acknowledge its beneficial role

Yes the cutting edge of science looks dangerous, and sometimes it turn out to be beneficial. We have to weigh each occurrence on its own merit.

 

[sravna]

We were created after a great deal of experimentation. We create after a great deal of experimentation. We are not any different from nature.

Creation by/in nature is far from perfect. 'Holistic' in the context above may be a non sequitur.

Dear Palindrome,

I do not think that nature requires to do experimentation. Everything is the way it is because it is meant to be that way. We would not find the balance in nature if things happened in isolation. Actually we are trying to disturb that balance. In the end nature would have its way though.

 

[prasad1]

Dear Palindrome,

I do not think that nature requires to do experimentation. Everything is the way it is because it is meant to be that way. We would not find the balance in nature if things happened in isolation. Actually we are trying to disturb that balance. In the end nature would have its way though.

Sorry to interject.
But nature experiments all the time. The whole evolution is based on trial and error method to get to a species in the present format.

The Theory of Evolution in Action: Natural Selection Demonstrations

 

[sravna]

Sorry to interject.
But nature experiments all the time. The whole evolution is based on trial and error method to get to a species in the present format.

The Theory of Evolution in Action: Natural Selection Demonstrations

Dear Shri Prasad,

What I am saying reality is an interconnected whole of everything. Because of this interconnectedness we cannot try to tamper with one particular thing and expect that there would be no side effects. That is what I meant when I said nature tries to maintain a state of balance.

 

[renuka]

Dear Shri Prasad,

What I am saying reality is an interconnected whole of everything. Because of this interconnectedness we cannot try to tamper with one particular thing and expect that there would be no side effects. That is what I meant when I said nature tries to maintain a state of balance.

Dear Sravna,

In Mahabharat the gender of Sikhandin was always a controversy.

Was Sikhandin a male or female..Bhisma always thougt of Sikhandin as female even though he was male..Sikhandin was supposed to be born a female and then gradually became a male.

So do you think Sikhandin could have had a male egg and a female sperm?

Anything is possible in this world..after all Mahabharat is described as "that which you find in the world is inside it(Mahabharat) and that which you do not find in the world is not in it!"

So think it over Sravna.

 

[Nara]

Sorry to interject.
But nature experiments all the time. The whole evolution is based on trial and error method to get to a species in the present format.

The Theory of Evolution in Action: Natural Selection Demonstrations

Perhaps the word "experiments" is meant in a different sense than the usual meaning which presupposes an experimenter. Perhaps even the theists who believe in a creator god would object as their god being omniscient there would be no need for experimentation.

The theory of evolution does not say nature "experiments". To put it succinctly, theory of evolution shows that evolution occurs through random mutation and natural selection. Humans can and have interfered and engineered evolution of many plant and animal species, and in these cases it is the humans who do the experimentation, not nature.

best ....

 

[palindrome]

The theory of evolution does not say nature "experiments". To put it succinctly, theory of evolution shows that evolution occurs through random mutation and natural selection. Humans can and have interfered and engineered evolution of many plant and animal species, and in these cases it is the humans who do the experimentation, not nature..

True sir. Was thinking natural selection (bcoz of the way it works) may come under the ambit of experimentation (by/in nature). But i submit it was a shoddy way of putting it.

As to Sravna's supposition of interconnectedness and tampering, am not sure what to make out of it. Each time we step out in the sun UV rays of the sun induce mutations in our skin cells. Diseases like sickle cell anemia and some cancers are ancient coming down since the days of egyptian pharoes. If God created humans in his own image, God is just as fragile / frail / imperfect / mortal as humans. But of-course there are people who do not believe in evolution. Hope models used in experimental evolution to test various theories of evolution by way of wet labs / experiments help develop an additional perspective. But then ideas put into the mind by religion / religious beliefs may interfere with everything....

 

[palindrome]

We were created after a great deal of experimentation. We create after a great deal of experimentation. We are not any different from nature.

Creation by/in nature is far from perfect. 'Holistic' in the context above may be a non sequitur.

Would like to correct the above quoted post.

We were not created. We evolved.

 

[sravna]

Dear Sravna,

In Mahabharat the gender of Sikhandin was always a controversy.

Was Sikhandin a male or female..Bhisma always thougt of Sikhandin as female even though he was male..Sikhandin was supposed to be born a female and then gradually became a male.

So do you think Sikhandin could have had a male egg and a female sperm?

Anything is possible in this world..after all Mahabharat is described as "that which you find in the world is inside it(Mahabharat) and that which you do not find in the world is not in it!"

So think it over Sravna.

Dear Renuka,

Mahabharat tells both the good and the bad. So it doesn't mean if it is told in the mahabharat it is right or natural. My point is science should not try to tamper with nature. You may be going against or tampering with nature when you see things in isolation and act based on that.

 

[renuka]

My point is science should not try to tamper with nature. You may be going against or tampering with nature when you see things in isolation and act based on that.

Dear Sravna,

Simple question..I think you are around my age Mid 40's..ok at this age we note greying of hair.

Would you dye your hair?

 

[sravna]

Dear Sravna,

Simple question..I think you are around my age Mid 40's..ok at this age we note greying of hair.

Would you dye your hair?

No I don't

 

[tks]

There is no such thing as tampering when it comes to nature

 

[renuka]

No I don't

Ok that means you will never tamper with nature.

Ok Sravna..for those who are born blind..would a corneal transplant be considered tampering with nature?

 

[sravna]

There is no such thing as tampering when it comes to nature

Dear Shri TKS,

Could you elaborate?

 

[sravna]

Ok that means you will never tamper with nature.

Ok Sravna..for those who are born blind..would a corneal transplant be considered tampering with nature?

Dear Renuka,

The point since I think interconnectedness is the feature of reality we may not be doing the right thing when we see something in a narrow way to the exclusion of the related aspects. That is what I mean by tampering with nature.

I am not against all the solutions to make an artificial thing or something different from what nature has created but only that let it be a far sighted one and one which blends with the reality. Of course nature has self correcting mechanisms built in to it. But from our perspective we may have to face the consequences when we go against the nature.

 

[vgane]

Dear Renuka,

The point since I think interconnectedness is the feature of reality we may not be doing the right thing when we see something in a narrow way to the exclusion of the related aspects. That is what I mean by tampering with nature.

I am not against all the solutions to make an artificial thing or something different from what nature has created but only that let it be a far sighted one and one which blends with the reality. Of course nature has self correcting mechanisms built in to it. But from our perspective we may have to face the consequences when we go against the nature.

I do agree with you as far as the need to see the interconnectedness when ever there is a discovery or invention..However when we see the progress made by mankind on account of scientific discoveries and inventions is enormous as we moved from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age to the Iron Age to the Industrial Revolution culminating in the Age of Internet and Digital revolution

Every discovery has its pros and Cons

In 1898 when Pierrre and Marie Curie discovered that Pitch blende, an Uranium ore contained Radium which is radio active no one envisaged the power of nuclear weapons that has the ability to destroy cities...In 1945 when US bombed Japan, it became a reality

In essence it behoves on us to use Science for the benefit of Man kind

Every discovery /Invention is a tampering of the existing

Don't we say that old order changeth yielding place to New?

 

[sravna]

I do agree with you as far as the need to see the interconnectedness when ever there is a discovery or invention..However when we see the progress made by mankind on account of scientific discoveries and inventions is enormous as we moved from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age to the Iron Age to the Industrial Revolution culminating in the Age of Internet and Digital revolution

Every discovery has its pros and Cons

In 1898 when Pierrre and Marie Curie discovered that Pitch blende, an Uranium ore contained Radium which is radio active no one envisaged the power of nuclear weapons that has the ability to destroy cities...In 1945 when US bombed Japan, it became a reality

In essence it behoves on us to use Science for the benefit of Man kind

Every discovery /Invention is a tampering of the existing

Don't we say that old order changeth yielding place to New?

No Shri Vgane, I am not against old order changing if the new is a real improvement meaning the new implies we have understood nature better. But what I do not want to happen is to make inventions and discoveries which do not show a proper understanding of nature and using such inventions, as that is bound to recoil on us.

 

[prasad1]

No Shri Vgane, I am not against old order changing if the new is a real improvement meaning the new implies we have understood nature better. But what I do not want to happen is to make inventions and discoveries which do not show a proper understanding of nature and using such inventions, as that is bound to recoil on us.

Is there anything that is not in Brahmam (for advaitins)? So there is nothing artificial, everything is natural. Some we know and others are unknown until discovered by someone. That is why it is called research, so instead of calling it invention, it should be called refined.

 

[sravna]

Is there anything that is not in Brahmam (for advaitins)? So there is nothing artificial, everything is natural. Some we know and others are unknown until discovered by someone. That is why it is called research, so instead of calling it invention, it should be called refined.

Dear Shri Prasad,

I completely believe in advaita. Advaita also talks about the nature of the reality of the physical world. The world we live in is a mix of the spiritual and the physical. We need to identify and separate the two at that fundamental level at least so that we can accept the former and eschew the latter. Not all research work produces knowledge that is in agreement with the ultimate knowledge. So any knowledge that opposes the ultimate knowledge if used will eventually act to our detriment. That is what I am trying to say.