Can monkey sperm fertilize human egg? ( 5 interesting things)

Curious to know can monkey sperm fertile human egg? This article will briefly help you find an answer. We will also discuss the genomic structures of both apes and humans. Further possibilities like, can a human sperm fertile monkey egg? will also be addressed.

Can monkey sperm fertilize human egg?

No, monkey sperm can not fertilize human egg. Researches have shown that monkeys and humans show almost 95% DNA similarities. But despite this remarkable similarity, the phenomenon of a human and monkey cross seems quite unlikely to happen.

Species can not interbreed with each other. They are only bound to cross with related members. There are many scientific reasons behind it, such as:

  • Different genetic material
  • Different fertilization types
  • Different reproductive anatomies
  • Different chromosomal numbers

Even if members of different species breed. The number of chances of fertilization and formation of a healthy embryo is rare. Therefore, if one is supposed to address a certain query such as, “Can monkey sperm fertile human egg?” It would suffice to say no.

Let us discuss this topic with a broader spectrum.

Humanzee: A human monkey hybrid

Humanzee is a term made up of two words, humans and chimpanzees. It means a hybrid Offspring reproduced by the gamete cells of an ape and a human.

 Many serious attempts have been made in the past. The success of any of those events was unlikely to occur. All of the efforts lead to failure, but every time researchers got to know more about the relationship between monkeys and humans. 

As we already know that according to the Darwin theory of evolution, modern man evolved from a chimpanzee. Many people believe this while many despise it on religious grounds. 

The notion of fertilization of a monkey sperm and a human egg originates from about 6 million years ago. It is said that humans and monkeys crossed together to give birth to bonobos or chimpanzees. 

Different species interbreeding together was seen in equines, but it resulted in a sterile progeny. The birth of an infertile mule from the cross between a horse and a donkey clearly shows the genomic barrier. 

But if horses and donkeys can interbreed freely, a question arises “Can monkey sperm fertilize human egg?” 

Let’s get into the phenomenon of fertilization in animals. As it gravitates certain possibilities among different species to consummate together and carry out fertilization.

Could animal sperm fertilize human egg?

Before starting the phenomenon of fertilization. Let us learn what exactly fertilization means. Fertilization is a process in which two different gametes, a sperm and an egg fuse together to form a diploid cell called a zygote. As we learnt that fertilization between different members of different species is unlikely to occur.

Humans have 46 number of chromes, the 23rd pair of chromosome includes the sex chromosomes while different animals have a different number of chromosomes. Monkeys have 48 chromosomes.

 The difference in chromosomes along with the other species barriers such as variant anatomical reproductive tract, renders species to breed with each other.

Could monkey sperm fertilize human egg? No, it simply can not. But different efforts in history have been made. The efforts despite their remarkable genetic discoveries were made to stop, as ethically they were not considered right.

Human germ cells:

The body of humans is made up of diploid cells, which means that all the cells in a human body contain 23 pairs of chromosomes. But the germ cells of humans are haploid, which means that their nucleus has half the number of chromosomes than the rest of the body. Human germ cells are of two main types.

  1. Egg
  2. Sperm

The female humans have eggs as the germ cells. These eggs contain the genetic material that fuses with the sperm of a human male. Both egg and sperm are haploid in nature, and together they make a diploid zygote as a result of fertilization.

We figured out, can monkey sperm fertilize human egg, let us find some detailed aspects of the germ cells of humans as well as monkeys.

Human sperm:

The human sperm is responsible for determining the sex of the offspring. It is made up of compacted nuclear material and has mitochondria for its own energy. A sperm has the following parts

  1. Head containing the genetic material 
  2. The middle piece having enzymes
  3. Tail for movement

The sperm is a highly motile cell. This motility helps sperm to move through the female reproductive tract

A schematic diagram of a human sperm

Human egg

A human egg is only found in human females. Females are born with a pool of eggs that grow continuously up to menopause, a condition when a female human stops producing ova. The human egg is highly protected by different cellular covering and is found in the ovaries.

A female egg consists of a haploid nucleus, surrounded by ooplasm and different protective cellular layers such as zona pellucida and corona radiata.

A schematic diagram of a female egg

If a monkey sperm having 24 chromosomes, fertilizes with a human egg having only 23 chromosomes, a cell having 47 chromosomes will be formed. The unpaired chromosomes will make the cell abnormal and won’t lead to the birth of a healthy offspring. 

Moreover, the human egg has certain chemicals in the cellular layers that don’t let the monkey sperm enter in the cell in the first place. Which means that if you are wondering, can monkey sperm fertilize human egg? The evidence is no, it is highly unlikely to happen.

Monkey germ cells:

Monkeys have 48 number of chromosomes and like humans, their germ cells have a half number of the chromosomes than all other cells of the body.

Monkeys also have eggs and sperms, sperms are present in males while eggs are found to be present in females. The genetic material of monkeys has almost 95 % similarities with the human genome.

Can monkey sperm fertilize human egg? even after 95% of similar genetic material the answer is no, it can not.

Conclusion:

We briefly answered the question: can monkey sperm fertilize human egg? We also learnt details of human and monkey genomic materials. We learnt that no, it is not possible for a monkey sperm to fertilize a human egg.

Feel free to ask anything about Can monkey sperm fertilize human egg? In the comment section below.

FAQs: Can monkey sperm fertilize human egg?

Frequently asked questions about can monkey sperm fertilize human egg.? Are listed below

What has to happen for a sperm to fertilize a human egg?

Sperm has to move all the way from a vagina to the fallopian tube to fertilize an egg. There are certain chemical changes that sperm has to undergo in order to achieve successful fertilization of a human egg.

Can a monkey sperm fertilize a human egg?

No, a monkey sperm can not fertilize human egg. Researches have shown that monkeys and humans show almost 95% DNA similarities. But despite this remarkable similarity, the phenomenon of a human and monkey cross seems quite unlikely to happen.

Can a human impregnate a pig?

No human can not impregnate pigs. Species can not interbreed with each other. They are only bound to cross with related members. 

Can human sperm fertilize a cow?

No human sperm cannot fertilize a cow. The difference in chromosomes along with the other specie barriers such as variant anatomical reproductive tract, renders species to breed with each other.

Do you feel anything when sperm meets egg?

You don’t exactly feel when sperm meets your egg, but as the time passes and the zygote converts into a morula it starts burrowing your uterus. This burrowing is an early sign towards a progressing pregnancy.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanzee#:~:text=humans%20and%20chimpanzees%2C%20it%20is,be%20grown%20in%20these%20chimeras.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/is-it-possible-for-humans-and-chimpanzees-to-interbreed/

https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/scientists-claims-humans-successfully-conceived-a-humanzee-but-history-suggests-otherwise/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/409311/

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2006/11/can-humans-mate-with-other-animals.html

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2006/11/can-humans-mate-with-other-animals.html

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-8982-9_19

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/human-monkey-hybrid-china-organ-transplant-stem-cells-embryo-a9037506.html

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/mrd.1080270313

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