Do we ever run out of sperm?
Question
Bob asks, 'Do you ever run out of sperm?'
Answer
Will Tingle asked developmental endocrinologst Professor Rod Mitchell of the Univeristy of Edinburgh if he could help with the answer...
Rod - The answer is no. New sperm are being produced all the time from stem cells in the testicle, and this happens throughout adult life. Although sperm counts do decline with age, as long as there are stem cells in the testicle, then sperm will never run out.
Will - A reassuring start, but in what situation would one's amount of sperm decrease?
Rod - If those stem cells are damaged or lost, for example, with some forms of cancer treatment, then sperm production may not recover. This situation in men with continuous sperm production throughout adulthood is in contrast to the situation in women who are born with all their eggs, which are gradually lost over time until menopause when there are no functional eggs left.
Comments
crab dna
in the search for longevity can a crab dna be used to make a long living human being?
would one of the problems be banging into stuff when walking sideways? Seriously though if you lost an arm could you regrow it like a crab does, and can the human brane contemplate or put up with what happens in summer, i.e. how do crabs handle the eyeballs-in-the-sky event horizon syndrome. such as ol' boot in the perishers crabby friends do? - by committing crusticide?
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