--- title: "Study: Sperm Banks in Space Could Make Colonizing Mars Possible" description: "A new study found that frozen sperm samples survive in microgravity, meaning sperm sent from Earth could be used for space reproduction and colonizing mars." date: "2019-06-24" modified: "2019-06-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sperm-banks-space-colonizing-mars" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "astronauts" - "colonizing mars" - "reproduction" - "space" - "the digest" --- # Study: Sperm Banks in Space Could Make Colonizing Mars Possible ![A new study found that frozen sperm samples survived in microgravity, suggesting reproducing in space with sperm sent from Earth could be possible.]() *\Image: Shutterstock/Victor Tangermann\* ## Space Sperm Bank A new study by researchers from the Dexeus Women’s Health research network in Barcelona found that [frozen sperm samples survived]() when exposed to microgravity. That could mean that sperm banks in space are possible, providing future space travelers with the ability to reproduce in space with sperm samples brought up from Earth. "Some studies suggest a significant decrease in the motility of a human, fresh sperm sample," Montserrat Boada who presented the research yesterday at an [annual meeting]() in Vienna, Austria, said, as quoted by *The Guardian*. "But nothing has been reported on the possible effects of gravitational differences on frozen human gametes, in which state they could be transported from Earth to space." "If the number of space missions increases in the coming years, and are of longer duration, it is important to study the effects of long-term human exposure to space in order to face them," Boada added. "It's not unreasonable to start thinking about the possibility of reproduction beyond the Earth." ## Wild Plane Ride But the study did come with plenty of caveats: the frozen sperm samples haven't actually made it all the way to space just yet — instead the ten healthy sperm samples were exposed to 20, eight-second bouts of microgravity on board a small, specialized aircraft. “Our best option will be to perform the experiment using real spaceflight but access is very limited,” Boada said. **READ MORE:** [Mars colonisation possible through sperm bank in space, study suggests]() \[*The Guardian*\] **More on sperm in space:** *[Cosmonauts Refuse to Provide Semen Samples in Space]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()