Looming crisis: Follow-up study shows significant decline in sperm Ccounts globally, including Latin America, Asia and Africa
Turns out it’s not just the developed world, but apparently the precipitous drop in sperm count – more than 50% in the last 46 years – seems to be world wide, with no sign of stopping. This would of course end up with humanity unable to reproduce normally, with future generations being produce via intense fertilization efforts or outright cloning.
The suggestion has been that this is the result of environmental toxins. Sure, could be. But if the toxins are pervasive enough that all mankind is starting to run out of sperm… wouldn’t that apply to a bunch of other species as well? The primates for sure; then mammals, then everything else. Humanity might be able to struggle on with babies created through IVF, but that’s not going to help the cats and the chipmunks and the reindeer. If other species aren’t being hit, or at least aren’t being hit as bad, then it would argue that the problem is less “environmental.” Modern Americans consume a whole lot of garbage in their food and their meds that animals are likely largely spared… but if this effect is worldwide, that becomes harder to explain. Humans being the specific target of this problem would seem to sort of argue that it’s intentional.
4 responses to “Yay, we’re doomed (NNN edition)”
What if it’s something we regard as beneficial rather than a contaminant in our food or the general environment? (Aha! Fluoridation, polluting our precious bodily fluids! :grin:) Perhaps exposure to a common antibiotic such as tetracycline or azithromycin causes a permanent change in sperm count, or perhaps something like MSG in food does it …
Imagine the exploding heads if sperm count is inversely proportional to the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere! You’d find clowns like the Human Extinction Movement calling for more use of fossil fuels!
This makes the Greens happy of course.
My guess is that the Harvard Doctors told the eco-freaks: “You Greens had your chance…but we can use fear of contagion to change behavior—and talk radio won’t push back as hard…until it’s too late.”
Then—science fiction:
https://www.gateworld.net/wiki/Aschen_vaccine
Now?
Edward Teller wasn’t half the zealot of Fauci and friends. Radiation can only decrease—where genetic tampering can only spread. A bioreactor is easier than enriching fissile materials.
I think the great silence of Fermi has been explained.
I used to think Trek was silly for gene manipulation to be frowned upon…as with Bashir if not Khan.
They got it right.
Space first.
The thing to remember is that this is a decline in sperm counts, not fertility.
Long term, this will likely reverse through natural selection of those not effected. There are two caveats to this line of reasoning. First, it’s possible, though unlikely, that this is a universal phenomenon, if we are looking at an environmental issue this should vary widely among individuals. Secondly, this doesn’t mean the population would stay constant or continue growing, predicting population would rely on details not known or at least not included in the article.
Predictions if true.
We would clone dogs and cats before ourselves
A decline in the status of women is likely if there is a fertility issue. Men with “good” fertility would increase in value to society while those will “bad” or unproven sperm would decline, although it’s impossible to predict how this would shake out. Hmmm now I feel like writing a Science Fiction Novel.
A decline in sperm count will *probably* also indicate a decline in sperm quality. So while you could fertilize an egg using a grand total of one good sperm… if your sperm are not only fewer in number but lower in quality, fertilization becomes harder and the offspring get worse.
As to natural selection, that takes a number of generations to effect some meaningful wide change. How many I don’t know, but if you handwave “ten,” then you’re looking at 200 years. In that time humanity will either have colonized space and moved beyond all this, or gone extinct or dropped out of being an industrialized species with any sort of future.