Crosswords2 mins ago
Sex, one second later.
Imagine, for example, the time that you were conceived. My question is, that if your father had ejaculated one second later, would you have been born, or would it have been someone entirely different? Is the batch of sperm that is expelled all going to make the same baby, or would each individual sperm create an entirely different child?
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flobadob....interesting and I do not know the answer..BUT
To me, there are only two types of sperm in a "batch".....those with Y chromosomes and those without......so whichever sperm got there first, the only difference would be that you would either be male or female. Apart from that difference, the genotype of all the batch would be the same.........all males looking the same and all females looking the same. But as you say....even identical twins have differences.
Look forward to an answer from someone.
To me, there are only two types of sperm in a "batch".....those with Y chromosomes and those without......so whichever sperm got there first, the only difference would be that you would either be male or female. Apart from that difference, the genotype of all the batch would be the same.........all males looking the same and all females looking the same. But as you say....even identical twins have differences.
Look forward to an answer from someone.
In a broad sense it would still have been you. The moment of conception is when a sperm enters the egg so yours would have been the first one to win anyway.
Congratulations, you won a race with 100+million contestants!
Each individual sperm, even in the same ejeculation, has slightly different info and so has each egg of a woman, this is why you look different from your brother/sister and non-identical twins don't look any more alike than other siblings.
Congratulations, you won a race with 100+million contestants!
Each individual sperm, even in the same ejeculation, has slightly different info and so has each egg of a woman, this is why you look different from your brother/sister and non-identical twins don't look any more alike than other siblings.
-- answer removed --
Perhaps I don't understand sqad's answer correctly but to me I think it's wrong.
If the only difference was the X or Y cromosome and there was no difference between eggs then every sibling of the same gender would be a twin.
When during fertillisation there is clearly a process of "negotiation" between the mother and father's genetic material to establish that of the child. That process will inevitably be subject to random variation. Do it again you'll get a different result.
As an aside.There is current interest in a form of twinning called Polar Body twinning where it is believed that the egg divides prior to conception.
If the only difference was the X or Y cromosome and there was no difference between eggs then every sibling of the same gender would be a twin.
When during fertillisation there is clearly a process of "negotiation" between the mother and father's genetic material to establish that of the child. That process will inevitably be subject to random variation. Do it again you'll get a different result.
As an aside.There is current interest in a form of twinning called Polar Body twinning where it is believed that the egg divides prior to conception.
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