Sex Post Facto

Big Picture Science

Science, Technology

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2017

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast.
0:05.0	This episode is brought to you by Shopify.
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0:23.6	at Shopify. co-deek slash special offer,
0:26.4	or lower case.
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0:32.4	The world is constantly changing and transforming.
0:35.0	Cut through some of the noise with What's New With Wired,
0:39.0	a podcast that goes in depth on the latest news and technology and culture.
0:43.7	Their award-winning journalism will help you make sense of what's happening in the world.
0:48.3	Listen to What's New With Wired wherever you get your podcasts.
0:52.1	That's What's New With Wired, wherever you get your podcasts. That's what's new with Wired wherever you get your
0:55.1	podcasts. First comes love,
1:06.0	love, then comes marriage, then comes so-and-so with a baby carriage.
1:10.0	I know if only it were that simple.
1:12.0	There are many reasons why that romantic view of starting a family is not always realistic.
1:17.6	It's not simply because no one has mentioned the stress of a second mortgage or writing college tuition checks.
1:23.7	Love and marriage may not follow in that order or be present at all for there to be babies.
1:28.8	Changes in advanced biotechnology may be about to burst that bubble for good. It may be that in the future
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