The Paternity of Sperm Donors - A Step Too Far?

Sperm donation is a topical issue, and one which has undoubtedly split national and international opinion down on both sides of the fence. In relation to artificial insemination, the act of a man donating sperm creates a situation whereby couples with fertility problems raise the products of the donated sperm. Whilst this kind of solution can be a godsend to childless families, it nevertheless sparks an emotional and moral debate over the role of the sperm donor to his eventual biological child, dredging up the old issues of nature and nurture and the importance of biological as opposed to artificial family relationships. Furthermore with the potential confusion this can cause for the child in later life, and the advancing relationship between DNA testing and paternity, sperm donation continues to be a hotly contested subject.

Arguments on both sides

On one side of the fence is the argument that a child, regardless of any other factors, has an inherent right to see both of his biological parents. Certain opinions suggest that the natural connection is far stronger than anything that can be artificially created, and that as such both the parent and the child have an in-built right to maintain contact with one another. However this view point has fallen to a number of robust criticisms. Firstly, in the context of sperm donation this produces all kinds of policy problems. Few would argue it desirable to have the ability to trace a sperm donor - sperm donation is not a commitment to fatherhood. Likewise the sperm donor should have no direct link to the child for fear that this may disrupt the family unit and hinder the child's upbringing.

Secondly, rights correlate directly with responsibilities according to the influential theory, albeit in a judicial context, known as the Hohfeld schema. Where then, do the rights of the sperm donor correlate with responsibilities? Whilst there is a genetic link, there is no paternal link - that job's already taken, thus the sperm donor has nothing to contribute to the bargain aside from his common genetic materials.

On the flip side, the suggestion stands that children should be allowed to grow up with their family units, and that biological relationships through sperm donation should be kept anonymous for policy reasons and to prevent eventual issues with tracking in later life. However to counter this, why shouldn't a child's biological father have the right to contact and access, if not at a distance, with his child? Sharing the same genes, the characteristics of the father could be adapted through DNA testing (genetic) to work out whether the child will be subject to the same medical problems or temperament issues, which could be beneficial to treating illnesses.

Sperm donator anonymity and DNA Paternity Testing

Paternity testing and DNA testing in general have become far more widespread in recent years, which could eventually lead to the issues of sperm donator anonymity being further jeopardised since a DNA paternity test will confirm with certainty who the biological father is of the child. Until then, however, the debate over the rights and responsibilities of the sperm donator in relation to his biological child looks set to rage on.

Kevin Camilleri writes articles for dna paternity test. Other articles written by the author related to paternity testing, home paternity test and paternity test kit can be found on the net.

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Easy Science Projects for Kids

It's important for kids to get involved in science from an early age, as exposure to scientific ideas and the world of exploration as soon as possible is the best way to foster a love for learning in your children that will last a lifetime. At the same time, scientific knowledge is cumulative, so kids have to start with a solid foundation if they are to develop the necessary scientific skills to succeed in school, and perhaps in a future career. Of course, when doing science projects with kids the most important thing to remember is to have fun! Youth science fair projects aren't meant to transform your child into a scientist - they are meant to get the creative juices flowing within your child and help him or her continue to explore the natural world and make use of the imagination.

So where do you find ideas for science projects, if you want to get your child started on something at home? Luckily, these days you don't have to look far to find science projects for your children - simply do an online search and you should be able to find tons of websites containing information and ideas pertaining to science fair projects and science for children in general. These websites list science projects and tell you exactly how to do them and what to do, so the process of helping your child discover science or prepare science fair projects for school is made easy.

In the past, it was easy for parents to become frustrated when helping kids with homework and coming up with ideas for science fair projects - now it's easy to help them out and you don't have to be a science whiz yourself! And if your child demonstrates a natural interest in science, it's even more important that you encourage it from an early age. Whether or not you have to do a project for school, or complete a homework assignment, kids getting involved in science at home is a great idea!

In fact, doing their own science experiments at home is a great way to supplement the regular educational exposure your kids get during the day in the classroom. And if you home school your children coming up with fun and educational science experiments that are easy to recreate at home is the perfect way to help your kids exercise their minds and learn about science while having a lot of fun at the same time.

When you set up science projects for your kids to do at home, it makes learning fun - this will carry over to the child's classroom experience and may even improve their grades overall. Of course, that is not the main goal of doing science experiments at home. Again, do these projects with your children as a fun activity and the learning will spring from that organically. Specifically, when searching for science projects for your kids to do at home it's a good idea to find something your children, and maybe even their friends, will enjoy. Figure out what interests your child and go from there. Involving them in the process will help them naturally discover where their interests are and what type of experiments they'll gain the most from.

You can find the instructions for these experiments for free, although you will have to purchase some basic supplies in most cases. At the same time, materials used in most of these projects are relatively inexpensive and not difficult to find.

For some easy science project ideas that only require everyday household items, check out the Easy Science Projects Web Site.

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Little Sea Creature - Big Shock for Darwinists

A recent study funded by the National Science Foundation used over 100 computers to analyse the evolutionary history of the Earth's earliest animals. In the 19th century, Charles Darwin introduced the view that all living organisms form a tree of life from which the various species branch off. Although the tree currently looks more like a bush than a real tree, Darwin's supporters have not completely discarded his basic idea.

Evolutionary biologists had previously speculated that simple creatures should have diverged from the trunk of the tree before the more complex ones. Accordingly, they believed that the sponge was the first animal to branch off.

However, the results of the research, published in the April 10 issue of the British science journal Nature, were a big surprise and disappointment for evolutionists. Casey Dunn, whose research team made the groundbreaking discovery, said according to physorg.com, "This was a complete shocker, so shocking that we initially thought something had gone very wrong."

The results were so shocking that the researchers had to check and re-check them several times before they were willing to believe what they had discovered.

The first animal to branch off was not the sponge but the comb jelly. This is significant since the comb jelly has tissues and a nervous system, which are complex systems thought to have evolved much later. A sponge, by contrast, is a more "primitive" creature, lacking both tissue and a nervous system. Dunn thus suggested that the first animal was more complex than previously believed.

In other words, the results were diametrically opposed to the expectations of scientists supporting the theory of evolution. Nonetheless, most of them are probably not prepared to discard their pet theory but will merely attempt to adjust the tree of life, even though part of it is now clearly upside down.

Joel Kontinen is a translator and novelist currently living in Finland. His background includes an MA in translation studies and a BA in Bible and Theology. He likes to keep up-to-date on science news and often comments on creation/evolution and origins issues

Blog: http://joelkontinen.blogspot.com/

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About Lizards - The Leopard Gecko as a Pet

Leopard Geckos serve as great household pets, for older children to adults. Leopard Geckos are among the most common lizards chosen as household pets because of their small size, they are easy to care for, they are very clean for a terrarium pet (their droppings habits are similar to that of a cat - they choose a main corner to lay their feces), they have an average lifespan of 19 - 22 years (longest recorded lifespan for a Leopard Gecko is 27 years), they have interesting wide-range of colors, and they can grow very tolerant to being handled. However, children should be monitored while handling Leopard Geckos because if they are under extreme stress or fear, their tails tend to fall off.

Another good reason why Leopard Geckos as pets are a good idea is because of the fact that Leopard Geckos are very easily found available at pet stores. Just like buying a dog, you can decide to buy a Leopard Gecko today, and find a perfect one to take home with you in less than an hour (of course, that's depending on how long it takes you to get to your local pet store). For those that are hesitant about keeping wild-caught animals as pets (for example, the common blue-bellied lizard that you used to catch when you were a small child), rest assured that Leopard Geckos are one of the few lizard species that are regularly bred in captivity, for the purpose of selling as pets. As an entire package, Leopard Geckos are comparatively cheap when you look at all your getting. Leopard Geckos are beautiful lizards that come in all kinds of different colors, breeds, and design patterns; they are very tolerant to being handled, are relatively non-aggressive (I'll get to the relatively part soon); they are very clean for any kind of pet, not just lizards and reptiles; they are very easy to breed (given the proper instruction). Leopard Geckos (depending on their rarity and sometimes age) are very cheap in contrast to other reptiles that may not have all the same good qualities as Leopard Geckos.

So do Leopard Geckos bite, you ask? The reason why I said Leopard Geckos are relatively non-aggressive earlier is because I have had cases where baby Leopard Geckos would bite my fingers when I attempted to hold them, because they were not used to it. Did it hurt? Absolutely not. Leopard Geckos are toothless, very small in size, and just don't have enough power to really hurt a human being; regardless if it's a baby or an adult. That being said, I wouldn't encourage any kind of animal to bite another human being, especially small child who's fingers aren't as strong as a grown adult's.

To conclude this article, I'll end with the note that Leopard Geckos make great pets, and even if they weren't so low-cost, they would definitely still be my first choice as a reptile/lizard pet.

J. Beebe is a reptile owner and has owned and studied them for years. He specializes in Leopard Geckos and runs an information website called:

The Leopard Gecko Resource (http://www.geckosleopard.com/)

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