In the wake of last week's tragedy, Japanese scientists from Yokohama University have just announced that they have unlocked a medical mystery that has confounded biologists for years. They have discovered how to reproduce viable sperm cells in the lab, a scientific leap for creating fertility in men who are infertile. Scientists made this discovery by using IVF technology, stem cell research and surrogacy using laboratory mice. They harvested the sperm, soaked it in a solution that encouraged stem cell growth, and discovered that in a few weeks time, the sperm cells reproduced into viable sperm, complete with heads, bodies and tails. These sperm were used to fertilize eggs and the embryos were implanted into surrogate mice. This resulted in normal offspring that had the ability to reproduce. This breakthrough is significant because it could potentially pave the way for infertile men, particularly those who were once fertile to become biological fathers for the first time in history.
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