Can humans have babies in space? It may be harder than expected

Humankind is bound to become a space-faring species, expanding beyond the bounds of Mother Earth, just as it, millions of years ago, spread out of its cradle in Africa.

At least that's what space exploration leaders such as the world's richest man Elon Musk would like you to believe. However, there may be biological hurdles that could forever confine this vision to the realm of science fiction and human civilization to our Earthly soil. A new study found that sperm cells of mammalian species including humans, mice and pigs struggle to find their way through a female reproductive tract in microgravity to reach and fertilize an egg.

"When you think about the future of space exploration and space settlements, it's happening. It's happening now," Nicole McPherson, a reproductive biologist at the University of Adelaide, Australia, and lead author of the paper, told Space. Com.