The Future of Sperm

ONE CHILDLESS MAN'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE SCI-FI START-UPS, DIY DONOR CLUBS, AND GROUP MASTURBATION RETREATS ATTEMPTING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM THE MISUNDERSTOOD APOCALYPSE INSIDE MEN'S BODIES.

- ROSECRANS BALDWIN

SPERM ARE STUPID. They're among the smallest cells in a man's body, single-minded and unwavering. (Women's eggs are among the most complex human cells-read into that what you will.) A typical fertile, healthy young man produces over 100 million spermatozoa, or sperm cells, in his testicles every day-if he doesn't ejaculate, the sperm eventually die and get reabsorbed and that can be frightening, if you're trying to avoid having children in a country hell-bent on making pregnancy high-stakes. Sperm also can be an ick: For months, when I told people I was working on a story about the state of sperm, I watched women roll their eyes, and I heard a lot of men make jokes-usually the Monty Python bit: Every sperm is sacred, every sperm is great-before asking in a more serious tone, But wait, why?

Because sperm may be stupid, but current research suggests their situation is no joke. In the United States, sexual activity is down. Pregnancy and fertility rates are down. The amount and quality of sperm in American men's semen is believed to be down-experts I spoke to generally agreed on this, though they said more research is needed—a state for which studies have implicated things like ultra-processed foods, forever chemicals, and air pollution.