Scientists create artificial sperm cells; Papers hype all-female conception
Scientists say they have managed for the first time to create artificial sperm cells, a development that the popular press has seized upon as a sign that sterile men -- and even women -- may be able to fertilize eggs in the future.
The researchers turned adult stem cells from bone marrow into immature sperm cells. They're excited about the discovery, but say that it could take three to five years to develop a process whereby the cells develop into the more mature sperm cells found in the testes.
"This finding is of interest but we really need to be very cautious about the interpretation," a leading biologist tells BBC News.
A transplant technique has been devised that could effectively remove men from the process of creating life.
Women might soon be able to produce sperm in a development that could allow lesbian couples to have their own biological daughters, according to a pioneering study published today.
Due to the lack of the 'y' chromosome in the artificial sperm, the offspring would ALL BE FEMALE!
