This could have big implications for human reproduction in spaceflight.

“Exposure to short duration gravity load changes including microgravity, as sustained in a parabolic flight statistically significantly decreases the sperm motility and vitality of human fresh sperm samples,” the team found, adding that this may have huge importance for any prolonged human settlement missions in space.

“In the future, should humans remain in space for long periods of time with exposure to different microgravity and hypergravity peaks, which could range from months to a number of years, reproduction may pose a problem to be tackled.”

The mechanism by which sperm motility was decreased remains unknown, with further study needed.

  • rumba@lemmy.zipEnglish
    142·
    5 hours ago

    If you’re going to call for the stopping of advancement of science while we figure out how to not be horrible we might as well just cash it out now.

    • NatakuNox@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      5 hours ago

      Not my point. Advancement should never be stopped but us as a civilization needs push that science towards solving the most immediate and important problems.

      Just a observation. Wish it was reality. But with enough social collaboration we can make one man’s wet dream of being the last of humanity, while spreading his “Superior” seed across the cosmos; socially, financially, and legally unacceptable.

      • boywar3@lemmy.worldEnglish
        71·
        5 hours ago

        Scientific advancement in space experimentation leads to breakthroughs in other areas - all scientific progress is interconnected.

        “Pushing science towards solving the most immediate and important problems” is sort of a nonsense statement, as there could be new efficiencies/strategies that are discovered in fields that are completely unrelated to what would normally be associated with “the most immediate and important problems.”

      • GBU_28@lemm.eeEnglish
        3·
        4 hours ago

        We have many many scientists working on “important problems”.

        We do not have a deficit in research or curiosity, we have an issue with people willfully implementing policy that is detrimental. (Power, Profit, willful ignorance, intending to hurt others, etc)