Science Editorials on Televised Immunology highlights articles in the scientific fiction field that discuss the most recent progress in fertility and reproduction between humans and humanoid organisms, from the regulatory molecular mechanisms to the inevitable complications in pregnancy.


VIRAL INFECTIONS

Zombiviridae can cross the placenta

Figure 1. Simulated zombification of the fetus.
Figure 1. Simulated zombification of the fetus.

Zombiviridae, a large family of zombie viruses that cause disease in humans, was shown to infect the placenta promoting zombification of the fetus.

Zombie virus infection in pregnancy carries a risk to the mother, but even more so to her fetus. In Dawn of the Dead, a pregnant woman infected with zombie virus-1 (ZV-1) gave birth to a fully zombified infant.

Dr. Romero and his colleagues at the Philadelphia Institute of Zombie Virology in Pennsylvania developed a novel mouse model to evaluate the role of zombie viral infection in pregnancy and fetal development. Pregnant adult mice were infected with zombie virus, resulting in significant pathologic changes in the histology of the placenta and decidua. Zombie virus was detected in the fetus as early as E13.5.

The authors also generated compulsive brain eating factor (CBEF) reporter mice and used these animals to examine CBEF expression in the fetus, showing that substantial populations of CBEF-producing cells were present by E17. This model could be used to further study fetal zombification, the authors say.

Zombie Infection & Immunity. 218, 222-234 (2015).


CLINICAL REPORTS

Warnings against demonoid pregnancies

Two cases of demonoid-induced pregnancy pain syndrome, or DIPPS, were reported for the first time at Vanhelsinghaus Hospital in Vatican City by Dr. B. Summers and her team.

The first case involved a 26-year old female patient in Roman Polanski’s 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby. The patient experienced severe abdominal pains, weight loss, and anemia in the first trimester of pregnancy, accompanied by cravings for raw meat. Amniocentesis detected that the father of the fetus was Satan.

The second patient was a 19-year old female from the hit film Twilight, who suffered nearly identical symptoms after being impregnated by a vampire. The patient’s symptoms began to regress after childbirth, or after becoming a vampire herself, and continued to abate during follow-up visits.

Based on their cases and the literature, the authors suggest avoiding demonoid-human reproduction.

Journal of Demonic Obstetrics and Gynecology. 187, 1628-1631. (2015)


INFERTILITY

Extraterrestrophages underlie Alien-Human Fertility

Extraterrestrophages (the predominant immune cells of the female-type humanoid alien reproductive tract) have been identified as the crucial cell type mediating fertility between aliens and humans.

Aliens_web
Figure 2. Alien-human hybrids are rare and often present with unique immunological functions. Further study of mating strategies may prove instrumental in uncovering these immune mechanisms.

Human-alien hybrids are commonly reported to be the product of a human female and a male-type alien (for example, Spock from Star Trek, and Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy). However, reproduction between a human male and a female-type alien is much rarer.  Dr. Glipglop at the Royal Galactic Science Institute in Novo Toronto, Kepler-22b, and their team characterized extraterrestrophages harvested from over 100 female-type aliens. Coincubation of these cells with human sperm initiated expression of the novel Trope1 gene in extraterrostrophages, resulting in sperm phagocytosis. Deletion of Trope1 in these cells abrogated sperm uptake.

Researchers say that further examination of Trope1 could improve rates of in vitro fertilization success for alien-human couples.

 Acta Biologica Galactica. 115, 045720 (2015).


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