Future sperm bank on the Moon

Pups born from dried frozen sperm on space open up the future to build sperm banks on the Moon for humans.

Researcher Sayaka Wakayama and his colleague at Yamanashi University successfully conducted a frozen sperm fertilization experiment on the International Space Station (ISS), BBC on May 22 reported.

In this experiment, samples of spermatozoa were preserved frozen on the ISS station for 9 months before being sent to Earth. They are thawed at room thermodynamics, then fertilized to female mice.

Although the sperm DNA is slightly damaged, it can still fertilize an egg to create a healthy "space mouse" . The rate of fertilization and childbirth of rats in the "space sperm" group was similar to the control group of mice on the ground. Pups have slight differences in genetic code but grow well. Some are mated to produce the next generation.

Pups born from sperm are frozen free on the ISS station.(Photo: PNAS )

The amount of radiation on the ISS station is 100 times stronger on Earth, enough to break the DNA code in living cells, including sperm. Wakayama conjectured the damage on the DNA of the repaired egg sperm.

"If sperm samples are preserved longer in space, the chances of damage on DNA will increase and exceed the limit of ovarian oocytes that can be repaired , " Wakayama said. In that case, the new anti-cosmic radiation method, such as the ice shield, will be developed.

If this is done, the researchers can aim to build sperm banks under the lunar surface, where conditions are ideal due to very low temperatures, thick basement layers that block cosmic radiation. , completely separate from the disasters on Earth.

Professor Joseph Tash, a physiologist at the University of Kansas, said the ISS is a shielded safety environment in the Van Allen Radiation Belt, where solar wind is largely blocked by Earth's magnetic fields. Beyond this belt, the risk from radiation will be higher."Ovaries and testicles are the organs most sensitive to radiation exposure , " he said.

Tash said that the ability to maintain the mammalian race in space beyond Van Allen Radiation Belt depends on whether the facility is capable of protecting sperm, eggs, embryos and pregnant mothers. .