"sperm book"

August 10, 2021 9:04 AM

Scientists mail freeze-dried mouse sperm on a postcard (Science Daily): Researchers in Japan have developed a way to freeze dry sperm on a plastic sheet in weighing paper so that samples can withstand being mailed via postcard. This method allows for mouse sperm to be transported easily, inexpensively, and without the risk of glass cases breaking. Sperm-on-a-Postcard Breakthrough Opens Door to Massive 'Sperm Books' (Vice): One of the scientists even sent a festive “Happy New Year” card (image) to a colleague, with mouse sperm as an extra token of good luck. “In addition, since New Year's greeting cards are used to write one's hopes for the next year, we conducted the New Year's greeting card mailing experiment in the hope that it would be a good year, i.e., that we would be able to successfully mail sperm and publish a paper,”

Study: Mailing viable mouse freeze-dried spermatozoa on postcards (Cell.com)

posted by not_the_water (58 comments total)

> One of the scientists even sent a festive “Happy New Year” card (image) to a colleague, with mouse sperm as an extra token of good luck.

That'd be fine for 2020, but 2021 is Year of the Ox. Those postcards are going to be massive.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:17 AM on August 10, 2021 [22 favorites]

MetaFilter: with mouse sperm as an extra token of good luck.
posted by Splunge at 9:31 AM on August 10, 2021 [9 favorites]

Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu!
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:47 AM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'm glad they found a better "how," but the "why" remains a mystery.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:56 AM on August 10, 2021 [7 favorites]

Can I just swipe right on this reality? Or is it swipe left?
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 9:57 AM on August 10, 2021

making a note for next time I need to send somebody mouse sperm, this could be useful info
posted by DreamerFi at 10:02 AM on August 10, 2021 [5 favorites]

Wait, these sperm are viable?

"healthy offspring were obtained after preservation at -30C for more than 3 months".

Okay--postcards stored at -30C. Still, I wonder if human sperm banks could use this technology.
posted by eye of newt at 10:18 AM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

Using these glass ampoules, the team was able to send mouse sperm to the International Space Station, where they were exposed to years of outer space radiation in what became the station’s longest biological experiment. After the sperm was returned to Earth and transplanted into female mice, healthy pups were born—a promising sign that long-term space travel may not prevent reproduction.

I'm realizing that there is no good reason for the occupants of a generation ship to include any XY chromosomes. All the sperm could be freeze dried ahead of time, and only XX pregnancies allowed to come to term en route. This would double the reproductive diversity of the arriving colonists with the same capacity ship. There must already be good science fiction along these lines?
posted by meinvt at 10:18 AM on August 10, 2021 [7 favorites]

Sperm-on-a-Postcard Breakthrough Opens Door to Massive 'Sperm Books'

Breakthrough? My high school classmate Mark had one of these thirty years ago.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:19 AM on August 10, 2021 [14 favorites]

Something something something Age of Wonders.
posted by The Tensor at 10:21 AM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

I'm glad they found a better "how," but the "why" remains a mystery.

For mouse lines used in research that carry a specific mutation, it can be especially helpful to create lines that are best studied in the case of a specific cross. This could become a much easier way to ship and trade lines of research mice with rare mutations, opening up access to specialized lines to researchers and countries who might otherwise not be able to afford it.

If this can be extended to sperm from other species, the odds are pretty good that there is about to be a revolution in AI technology for agriculture. The vast majority of the fertilizations in our food chain, at least for animals, are artificial insemination. This will make shipping and administering bull semen, for example, much cheaper--which means again that we can widen access to high producing livestock lines.
posted by sciatrix at 10:23 AM on August 10, 2021 [30 favorites]

tldr: japanese postcards are the new french letters.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:25 AM on August 10, 2021

welcome back sciatrix! we've missed you (and your biology expertise too!).
posted by lalochezia at 10:30 AM on August 10, 2021 [17 favorites]

I'm still trying to figure out which poor lab tech is paid to jerk off the mice.

I mean, I had some shit tasks during my time as a lab tech, but I wasn't fluffing rodents.
posted by caution live frogs at 10:43 AM on August 10, 2021 [9 favorites]

We can only pray that Jared Leto never finds out about this technology.
posted by Strange Interlude at 10:44 AM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

sciatrix, will this also be useful for archiving and storage? I'd cautiously guess that currently, people had to store mouse semen as vials or trays, maybe at LN2 temperatures.

Whereas this is "The book was stored in a freezer at -30°C until further use for experiments."
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:44 AM on August 10, 2021

> but I wasn't fluffing rodents.
posted by caution live frogs

... rodentia's loss was anura's gain, then?
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:54 AM on August 10, 2021 [5 favorites]

origummy
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:55 AM on August 10, 2021 [3 favorites]

Oh great, just what we need, even more ways for semen to get all over the place.

Seriously though this seems pretty neat!
posted by medusa at 11:05 AM on August 10, 2021

Clippy: Hi! I am Clippy, your personal office assistant. It looks like you're writing a letter. Would you like any...personal...help with the attachments?
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:30 AM on August 10, 2021 [4 favorites]

ship and trade lines of research mice with rare mutations

Gotta catch em all! I'll trade you my ApoE KO for your Tau P301S!
Mouse Search
posted by thefoxgod at 11:33 AM on August 10, 2021 [4 favorites]

Hickory dickory dock. The mouse went in his sock
The sock was a shivery special delivery
Hickory dickory dock
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:42 AM on August 10, 2021 [5 favorites]

> Gotta catch em all! I'll trade you my ApoE KO for your Tau P301S!
Mouse Search

Professor Oak: "To make a complete guide on all the Pokémon in the world… That was my dream! But, I'm too old! I can't do it! So, I want you two to fulfill my dream for me! Get moving, you two! This is a great undertaking in Pokémon history!"

(Professor Oak then hands Ash and Gary Oak two large blank books and a box of rubber gloves.)
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:58 AM on August 10, 2021

This is really great for men who want to donate sperm but are wary of going out because of COVID. Mail-in sperm donations! Jerk it from home and get paid big $$$!


Also: a way to revitalize the postcard and greeting card industries?!??!
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:10 PM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

🎵 Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Tomorrow I'll miss you
Remember I'll always be true
And then while I'm away, I'll write home everyday
And I'll send all my loving semen to you 🎵
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:15 PM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'll be glad when lockdown is over and we can just buy our mouse sperm at the store like normal people.
posted by mittens at 12:16 PM on August 10, 2021 [14 favorites]

gee brain, what are we going to do tonight?
posted by pyramid termite at 12:19 PM on August 10, 2021 [6 favorites]

Morrisey voice:
Mouse sperm on a postcard,
I know, I know,
It's see-ri-ous...
posted by bartleby at 12:30 PM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

Or Total Recall quote, with Spoonerism:
'Hey, it's not like cryo-preservation of genetic material is a new field. What'so special about the data set of your sample group?'
Schwarzenegger voice:
"_ars has a core of Mice!!!"
posted by bartleby at 12:36 PM on August 10, 2021

That’s interesting; this is the second post this month that’s immediately made me think of Vonnegut’s “The Big Space Fuck.” If any of these scientists have connections to Jeff Bezos, I’ll know something’s up.
posted by TedW at 12:44 PM on August 10, 2021

This is totally going to win an Ig Nobel, isn't it?
posted by confluency at 12:55 PM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

> I'll be glad when lockdown is over and we can just buy our mouse sperm at the store like normal people.

Here at home we've been using non-murrine creamer, like barbarians!
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:56 PM on August 10, 2021

This is totally going to win an Ig Nobel, isn't it?

Either that or a restraining order
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 1:01 PM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

Scientists mail freeze-dried mouse sperm on a postcard

Having a great time. Wish you were here.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:10 PM on August 10, 2021 [8 favorites]

Red Dwarf - s2 e01

Holly : Hope they've got some odds and sods on board, we're short of a few supplies.

Lister : [drinking tea] Like what?

Holly : Cow's milk, ran out of that yonks ago. Fresh and dehydrated.

Lister : What kind of milk are we using now?

Holly : Emergency backup supply.

posted by sebastienbailard at 1:28 PM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

Mister Trouble never hangs around,
When he hears this Mighty sound:

"Here I come to save the day!"

That means that Mighty Mouse is on his way.
Yes sir, when there is a wrong to right
Mighty Mouse will join the fight.
On the sea or on the land,
He gets the situation well in hand.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:44 PM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

This holiday season give the gift of love! For a limited time each of our artisanal hand crafted penis beakers comes with a very special holiday-themed greeting card. Conveniently pre-jizzed with fancy grade mouse semen or, for a more personal touch, jingle your own bells and go with the encrust-your-own option. Only $39.99 each. Free shipping!
posted by Hairy Lobster at 1:48 PM on August 10, 2021

I'm still trying to figure out which poor lab tech is paid to jerk off the mice.

I heard a story once about a graduate student, who later became a professor, whose research involved collecting semen from dogs, and had to manually stimulate them. In his later telling, he said the dogs quickly learned the sound of his footsteps approaching the lab, and would always start barking excitedly, because "they knew their friend was here."
posted by biogeo at 1:50 PM on August 10, 2021 [8 favorites]

This is not the panspermia we were promised.
posted by Rumple at 2:16 PM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

How many Covid variants are we away from this being The New Normal of human reproduction?
posted by acb at 2:41 PM on August 10, 2021

how is babby mouse formed?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:55 PM on August 10, 2021

I'm still trying to figure out which poor lab tech is paid to jerk off the mice.

Imagine the teensy tweezers you'd need
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:01 PM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

It's probably an unpaid undergrad research student operating the tweezers, but if your grant will cover it:

Fisher Catalog No.
13-005-111

$5,074.50 / Each

Kent Scientific TriboSuite™ High-Flow Collection System with Integrated Piezoelectric Actuators

Easy to use system is capable of masturbating up to two mice/rats simultaneously.

• High flow rate value
• Actuator with adjustable limit switches
• Visual position indicator
• Manual override in standard
• Warming cuffs

(Non-distribution product as customer accommodation.)

posted by sebastienbailard at 3:34 PM on August 10, 2021 [3 favorites]

That's one expensive sex toy.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:39 PM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

Less expensive than paying a grad student though!
posted by biogeo at 3:42 PM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

Does it come with attachments to make it look like a sexy lady mouse?
posted by acb at 3:55 PM on August 10, 2021

That's a real Mickey Mouse actuator.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:03 PM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

Some mouse lines are also difficult to maintain with specific genetic variants and it's best to cross them each time you need to work on them rather than breeding the line, so this would definitely help with vivarium costs for labs whose mouse populations have this issue. Labs wouldn't necessarily have to maintain the parent lines themselves.
posted by zenzicube at 4:16 PM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

I have no idea how these people get the mouse sperm on the postcards or why
posted by Sutekh at 4:49 PM on August 10, 2021 [6 favorites]

Is this the new Ass Pennies?
posted by Dr. Twist at 5:27 PM on August 10, 2021

Science is one of the few good things in the world nowadays and this just fills me with delight
posted by sir jective at 6:21 PM on August 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

This is an interesting result, but a lot of work is needed to determine if it's really got potential in production agriculture or not. In cattle we've got a well-established global cold chain which supports our semen packaging and distribution in 0.5 and 0.25 ml plastic straws. A straw will generally provide 10-20 million motile cells that have passed rigorous quality control (morphology, motility, etc.). The limiting factor is not generally the cost of transporting semen and inseminating cattle, it's the development of markets that pay farmers enough for their products that it's worth investing in improved genetics.

This study also used ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) to demonstrate the viability of the semen, and that's really a non-starter for routine use in production agriculture. It's also not clear that it would actually be easier to resuspend the freeze-dried sperm into a fluid for AI that to continue using cryopreserved semen, and you still need a skilled technician to do the insemination. The importance of seminal plasma to the establishment of a viable pregnancy is also the subject of a lot of research right now and we don't know if any of that is captured by the freeze-drying method. That doesn't mean that future developments couldn't address all of these issues, but (at least in cattle) most of the cost of semen production is in development of elite genetics (most animals won't make the cut so the "winners" have to cover the cost of the "losers") and bull housing and rearing. Packaging and distribution costs are relatively modest.

Source: I work for the largest producer of bovine genetics in the world.
posted by wintermind at 6:36 PM on August 10, 2021 [12 favorites]

we've got a ... cold chain which supports our semen packaging

I prefer cotton boxers, but to each their own.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:14 PM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

Postcards from the Edge, indeed.
posted by SunSnork at 8:13 PM on August 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

Another step down the dark path to journals of gerbil jizz. When will science learn to stop playing God???
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:34 PM on August 10, 2021

Postcards from the Edged
posted by Kabanos at 6:49 AM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

It's like... inside an envelope though, right?
posted by augustimagination at 3:58 PM on August 11, 2021

Sperm-on-a-Postcard Breakthrough Opens Door to Massive 'Sperm Books'

How do they keep the pages from sticking together?
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 10:45 PM on August 11, 2021