Big Picture Science - Sex Post Facto
Birds do it, bees do it, but humans may not do it
for much longer. At least not for having children. Relying on sex to
reproduce could be supplanted by making babies in the lab, where parents-to-be
can select genomes that will ensure ideal physical and behavioral traits.
Men hoping to be
fathers should act sooner rather than later. These same advancements in
biotechnology could allow women to fertilize their own eggs, making the need
for male sperm obsolete.
Meanwhile, some
animals already reproduce asexually. Find out how female African bees can
opt to shut out male bees intent on expanding the hive.
Will engineering our
offspring have a down side? Sex creates vital genetic diversity, as
demonstrated by evolution of wild animals in urban areas. Find out how birds,
rodents and insects use sex in the city to adapt and thrive.
Guests:
- Menno Schilthuizen – Biologist and ecologist, at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Leiden University in The Netherlands. His New York Times op-ed, “Evolution is Happening Faster Than We Thought,” is here.
- Matthew Webster – Evolutionary biologist, Uppsala University, Sweden
- Hank Greely – Law professor and ethicist, Stanford University, who specializes in the ethical, legal and social implications of biomedical technologies. His book is “The End of Sex and The Future of Reproduction.”
This repeat podcast originally aired on September 19, 2016
Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sex-post-facto
You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.
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