THE END OF SEX

摘要

Rumours of the end of sexare probably premature. It has served us well so far, and besides, we are biologically programmed to want it. But when it comes to making babies, it is no longer the only option - and reproduction without sex looks set to become increasingly common. Last year, human sperm and egg precursor cells were created by reprogramming adult skin cells. Ethical concerns stopped the researchers from coaxing those cells into fully functional sperm and eggs, but the feat seems to have been achieved in mice: a team in China has reported using stem-cell-derived sperm to sire healthy mouse pups.