Take one part freeze-dried sperm. Inject into a mouse's egg. Allow for gestation. Yield: one baby mouse. That's the recipe University of Hawaii researchers followed in bringing to life a mouse from technically dead sperm. The feat shows that some DNA can survive death. Experts say it bears great potential for animal conservation, but little hope for human reproduction. Freeze-dried sperm (the process kills the cells but spares the genetic code) was chosen after frozen sperm (the preservation technique used in human and other animal reproduction) failed.
Instant Mouse
Take one part freeze-dried sperm. Inject into a mouse's egg. Allow for gestation. Yield: one baby mouse. That's the recipe University of Hawaii researchers followed in bringing to life a mouse from technically dead sperm. The feat shows that some DNA can survive death. Experts say it bears great potential for animal conservation, but little hope for human reproduction. Freeze-dried sperm (the process kills the cells but spares the genetic code) was chosen after frozen sperm (the preservation technique used in human and other animal reproduction) failed.
