Peak Oil News and Message Boards

onlooker wrote:Asg, the politicians and their overlords are just a tiny fraction of humanity, And they do not represent the overriding sentiments of the masses who wish to see a better different world. They have succeeded in making themselves irrelevant because of their venal self serving greed and power lust. The words on this site and others like it are of the people, by the people and for the people

dohboi wrote:Newf, I think even more difficult than simplicity is trying to live with uncertainty.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-40719743
Humans could become extinct if sperm counts in men from North America, Europe and Australia continue to fall at current rates, a doctor has warned.

Researchers assessing the results of nearly 200 separate studies say sperm counts among men from these areas seem to have halved in less than 40 years.

Some experts are sceptical of the findings, in Human Reproduction Update.

But lead researcher Dr Hagai Levine said he was "very worried" about what might happen in the future.

The assessment brings together the results of 185 studies between 1973 and 2011, one of the largest ever undertaken.

....

Dr Levine, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found a 52.4% decline in sperm concentration, and a 59.3% decline in total sperm count in men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The study also indicates the rate of decline among men living in these countries is continuing and possibly even increasing.

....



In contrast, no significant decline was seen in South America, Asia and Africa, but the researchers point out that far fewer studies have been conducted on these continents.

Cog wrote:Could we wait a couple of years before we make humans extinct? I've paid into social security all my life and I want to collect at least one check. Ok thanks.

dolanbaker wrote:I don't know whether this has already been posted, but here goes.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-40719743
Humans could become extinct if sperm counts in men from North America, Europe and Australia continue to fall at current rates, a doctor has warned.

Researchers assessing the results of nearly 200 separate studies say sperm counts among men from these areas seem to have halved in less than 40 years.

But lead researcher Dr Hagai Levine said he was "very worried" about what might happen in the future.

The assessment brings together the results of 185 studies between 1973 and 2011, one of the largest ever undertaken.

....
Dr Levine, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found a 52.4% decline in sperm concentration, and a 59.3% decline in total sperm count in men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The study also indicates the rate of decline among men living in these countries is continuing and possibly even increasing.

....
In contrast, no significant decline was seen in South America, Asia and Africa, but the researchers point out that far fewer studies have been conducted on these continents.

The last paragraph above, highlights a different story, it appears only to be "western" men who are suffering such a drop in fertility. So it could only be the westerners who become extinct!

Chemicals in plastics alter the brains of baby boys, making them "more feminine", say US researchers.

Males exposed to high doses in the womb went on to be less likely to play with boys' toys like cars or to join in rough and tumble games, they found.

The University of Rochester team's latest work adds to concerns about the safety of phthalates, found in vinyl flooring and PVC shower curtains.

The findings are reported in the International Journal of Andrology.

The same researchers have already shown that this can mean boys are born with genital abnormalities.

Now they say certain phthalates also impact on the developing brain, by knocking out the action of the male hormone testosterone.

They found that two phthalates DEHP and DBP can affect play behaviour.

Boys exposed to high levels of these in the womb were less likely than other boys to play with cars, trains and guns or engage in "rougher" games like playfighting.

"We now know that phthalates, to which we are all constantly exposed, are extremely worrying from a health perspective, leading to disruption of male reproduction health and, it appears, male behaviour too.

"This feminising capacity of phthalates makes them true 'gender benders'."

Cid_Yama wrote:It just came out that the military is spending 42 million on Viagra and another 84 million on erectile dysfunction medication.

Shouldn't this be a red flag, since most in the military are in their 20s. Even lifers are usually out by 40.

So if that's the case, it seems that we have a national problem that is not being recognized. Or perhaps hidden.

I'm in my 70s and have no problem so why should men in their 20s be needing assistance?

Cog wrote:Could we wait a couple of years before we make humans extinct? I've paid into social security all my life and I want to collect at least one check. Ok thanks.