Within just a few generations, human sperm counts may decline to levels below those considered adequate for fertility. That’s the alarming claim made in epidemiologist Shanna Swan’s new book, “Countdown”, which assembles a raft of evidence to show that the sperm count of western men has plunged by over 50% in less than 40 years.

That means men reading this article will on average have half the sperm count of their grandfathers. And, if the data is extrapolated forwards to its logical conclusion, men could have little or no reproductive capacity from 2060 onwards.

These are shocking claims, but they’re backed by a growing body of evidence that’s finding reproductive abnormalities and declining fertility in humans and wildlife worldwide.

It’s difficult to say whether these trends will continue – or whether, if they do, they could lead to our extinction. But it’s clear that one of the main causes of these issues – the chemicals we’re surrounded by in our everyday lives – requires better regulation in order to protect our reproductive capacities, and those of the creatures with which we share our environment. Read More.

By Alex Ford, University of Portsmouth, Gary Hutchison, Edinburgh Napier University | Source: The Conversation

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons| by Mariana Ruiz Villarreal