# Sex in space could be lethal



## Venusian Broon (Mar 15, 2013)

Well after a great deal of discussion about sex on the forums (are we still blaming springs?) this appears:


http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/201...could-be-lethal_n_2882819.html?ncid=webmail10


Godarn it, old school SF got it right - there is no sex in space cause they knew it was dangerous


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## Mouse (Mar 15, 2013)

... but only if you're a woman.


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## hopewrites (Mar 15, 2013)

I tend not to trust PLOSe ONE (sort if I misspelled.) As they have a habit of sending out sensationalist research half cocked. I've read contradictory reports from them that popped up in the on line conservation magazine I subscribe to.

I'd want to know if other life forms had changes in the way they developed in space before I went around saying "well the plants grew funny so kids conceived in space will have mental issues and cancer" come on.


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## Lenny (Mar 15, 2013)

Eurgh... that is a terribly yellow headline. The problem, the study suggests, is not the act itself, but _reproduction_.

I prefer this article: http://www.medicaldaily.com/article...-sex-making-babies-zero-gravity-dangerous.htm

EDIT: Looks like hope had the same reaction as me. Looks like I was distracted by Deep Space Nine (of all programmes...) for a touch too long whilst I was posting.


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## Venusian Broon (Mar 15, 2013)

Off the top of my head, I'm sure they have put animal developmental experiments in space and have done for some time (hatched and grown birds - chickens and the such like - I'm sure). I dont think they reported the abnormalities the researcher was suggesting. But then perhaps they were not looking out for long-term effects.

But let's face it, even if your an extremely healthy, abstaining person, with our level of technology, space is just not a great place to try and live. Full of nasty extremes we're just not evolved to cope with.

EDIT: Lenny, yep I kept the headline, 'cause of what we've been discussing in GWD this week. But Huffington Post from the little that I read of it seems to mostly report on what celebs are wearing at red carpet events, so it's pushed the lurid angle.


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## Boneman (Mar 15, 2013)

You mean instead of coming, you'll be going??


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## jastius (Mar 15, 2013)

the article doesn't read that you cant wonk in space, only that for the purposes of continuance of the human species if it were to fall to regeneration in space then what you would get from the gestation would not be a human form. 
the suggestions of diseases are ill thought out. for instance cancer is a fast growth issue, not a slow growth one. Alzheimer's has to due with gray matter memory relays and would not be an issue in an infant. (they would have to prove there is a problem with memory gating first) ... what would be more likely is issues on learning and communication, a greater threat of autism and emotional disorders in the range of social dysfunction disorders like psychopathy's and such.
to sum up, if you have a space baby you'll probably end up with a 2001 type HAL baby.  ( but rest assured gentlemen you can get your groove on in space without risking death...)
so dreams of matching captain kirk's alien exploits need not be abandoned entirely


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## Ursa major (Mar 16, 2013)

I always knew there'd be problems with... er... wait-less sex in space (just as there are down here).


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## hopewrites (Mar 16, 2013)

the article Lenny linked does a better job if hedging, I'll give it that. But the source for both is still that woman's paper for PLoS One (now that I'm not trying to type on my phone I can spell) and I still feel they pass out sensationalist opinions on half done research. Not saying their research isn't valid or their points aren't plausible. But they hand out as fact what they think they will learn from further research. Probably in an effort to drum up more support for the research to continue.
Mostly I take what I hear from them with a large dose of salt and if I ever quote it (to start a conversation) I do so in a vague way "oh I read in some article somewhere they were researching thus-and-so. Doesn't that sound interesting"


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## Vertigo (Mar 17, 2013)

As VB commented I had thought they had already done experiments on foetal development, at least in eggs, and found no problems.


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## paranoid marvin (Mar 17, 2013)

Would getting drunk first help? I hear it's an astro dizzy act.


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## DrMclony (Mar 18, 2013)

I would have some reservations about the conclusions herein, but at the same time I would be surprised if the lack of gravity had no effect. In either case, with the title of the thread, missus me might get her way and I won't sign us up for that couples trip to Mars! That would be a long cramped trip with no zero g ummm.... football... yes... football... fooooo, steered that topic to safety just in time.

Besides, drawing that long bow conclusion from the behaviour of pollen tubes might be a bit much.


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## nightdreamer (Apr 13, 2013)

NASA does try to be noncommittal on the matter of extraterrestrial amorous activities, but yeah, it's happened.  Word is, it's quite difficult in space: equal and opposite actions, and all.


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## BetaWolf (Apr 13, 2013)

I'll keep writing my little odd stories. But this piece from Forbes Magazine talks about the Inspiration Mars mission, set for 2018, of a married couple doing a fly-by on Mars and back. Might be of interest: http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkna...n-mars-aims-for-2018-flyby-of-the-red-planet/


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## Bowler1 (Apr 14, 2013)

There is almost an old world view that a woman's place is making babies in the first article, a little disappointing in this day and age. I think NASA may well keep a lid on sex in space, but the comment about Virgin flights I liked.


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## David Evil Overlord (Apr 19, 2013)

Mouse said:


> ... but only if you're a woman.



As a man, I fear that once I'd successfully docked with a heavenly body, problems might arise. Once thrust is applied in zero-g, bodies in motion will keep moving. But instead of perpetual motion, this would prove to be mere spin.

And I suffer from motion sickness. 

After my stomach contents have reached escape velocity, I think the relationship will probably crash and burn like the meteor that killed the dinosaurs.*

*If only the dinosaurs had not proxmired their space program, they'd still be alive and having sex in space right now.


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## BetaWolf (Apr 19, 2013)

Go for the salad, David. Not the steak on that big date night.  

A Bernal sphere, O'Neill cylinder, or Stanford torus should be a better environment, I think. Stanford does have a certain reputation, after all.


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## David Evil Overlord (Apr 20, 2013)

BetaWolf said:


> Go for the salad, David. Not the steak on that big date night.
> 
> A Bernal sphere, O'Neill cylinder, or Stanford torus should be a better environment, I think. Stanford does have a certain reputation, after all.



I was thinking about those space habitats that mimic gravity with spin (just like the centrifuges used in the experiments for simulated high gravity).

As for what would happen to Martian colonists (since we can't boost a planet's gravity in the same way), I'm guessing there would be adaptation, as those genes that work well in a Martian gravity breed more successfully.

Now, where have I heard of this idea before? Oh, right - evolution.


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## BetaWolf (Apr 20, 2013)

David Evil Overlord said:


> I was thinking about those space habitats that mimic gravity with spin (just like the centrifuges used in the experiments for simulated high gravity).
> 
> As for what would happen to Martian colonists (since we can't boost a planet's gravity in the same way), I'm guessing there would be adaptation, as those genes that work well in a Martian gravity breed more successfully.
> 
> Now, where have I heard of this idea before? Oh, right - evolution.



Aye, evolution. Here's a nice BBC report on low gravity and Martian colonization. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22146456

I don't mind living in a giant centrifuges except the ground curves the wrong way.


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