MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, July 10, 2001: A new revolutionary technique developed by scientists in Australia has opened the doors for men who are unable to produce children because they have no sperm or germ cells. Using other body cells called somatic cells, the procedure eliminates one set of chromosomes that somatic cells usually contain. After this separation, the remaining set of chromosomes can combine with one set in a female egg cell. Presently the technology has successfully been put to the test in lab cultures where mice eggs have been fertilized. It remains to be seen if the resultant embryos will be viable. As with cloning, such developments are causing forcing religions to explore new ethical issues.
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