Reproduction in space, an environment hostile to human biology

[erronis]

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-reproduction-space-environment-hostile-human.html

As commercial spaceflight draws ever closer and time spent in space continues to extend, the question of reproductive health beyond the bounds of planet Earth is no longer theoretical but now "urgently practical," according to a new study published in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online.

"More than 50 years ago," explains clinical embryologist Giles Palmer from the International IVF Initiative Inc, "two scientific breakthroughs reshaped what was thought biologically and physically possible--the first moon landing and the first proof of human fertilization in vitro.

"Now, more than half a century later, we argue in this report that these once-separate revolutions are colliding in a practical and underexplored reality: space is becoming a workplace and a destination, while assisted reproductive technologies have become highly advanced, increasingly automated and widely accessible."

But despite these advances, there are still no widely accepted, industry-wide standards for managing reproductive health risks in space, including the risks of inadvertent early pregnancy during space travel, fertility impacts from radiation and microgravity, and the ethical boundaries around any future reproduction-related research.

. . .

[llmart]

1. I remember when cloning was first discovered...

and all the arguments and discussions about the ethics of it. I'm old enough to remember the Life magazine cover with the first "test tube baby" on it. (Maybe it was Look magazine, but I subscribed to both back then so I could be wrong.)

[erronis]

2. And Dolly, the sheep.

Those days almost seem quaint from this current point of view. Wonder how we'll look in 100 years?

[llmart]

5. Dolly the sheep was what came to mind also.

[Laffy Kat]

3. It's remarkable how we slowly but surely acclimate to new technologies.

I remember all of the ethic discussions around IVF and now it's common place and accepted (well, mostly).

[llmart]

4. I wouldn't have my granddaughter without IVF.

I can't believe how radical that seemed back when I was a young mother.

[hunter]

6. Mars ain't the kind of place to raise a kid.

In fact it's cold as hell.

It's also blasted by radiation that tears apart DNA and other biomolecules; radiation that Earth's much thicker atmosphere and magnetic field protects us from.

Sending people into space isn't "progress," it's a circus, a distraction from the actual sorts of progress we'll have to make if we expect the human species to survive, let alone thrive.

I doubt humans will ever have a significant presence in space, but our robots might.

I can imagine Boston Dynamic sorts of robot androids and dogs bouncing around the moon's surface wearing only Tyvec suits.

Heck, maybe we'll create actual artificial intelligence someday, Asimovian positronic brains of sorts (not the empty artificial idiocy that's being promoted by billionaire wankers these days), who will keep us in the loop as they explore the solar system.

[erronis]

7. And they'll say "One giant step for robot-kind."

While waving goodbye at the dying earth.