This BLOWS my mind. We have machines that are sorting bull semen PER CELL based on the increased mass of the XX DNA vs XY DNA?! I never would have guessed that

This BLOWS my mind. We have machines that are sorting bull semen PER CELL based on the increased mass of the XX DNA vs XY DNA?! I never would have guessed that this is even possible, let alone that we're already doing it. From your first link: > For sex sorted semen, the ability to shift the gender ratio of a calf crop comes from the fact that gender is determined by the sperm cell that fertilizes the egg. Sperm cells that result in a heifer calf (XX) have more DNA than sperm cells that result in a bull calf (XY). > Of the several attempts to find ways to sort XX and XY sperm cells, the only method proven to be commercially viable is flow cytometry. Before going through the flow cytometer (sorting machine), a fluorescent dye is incorporated into the DNA of the sperm cells. They pass through the sorting machine in drops of liquid containing a single sperm cell per droplet. The machine detects the amount of florescence each cell emits; an XX sperm cell will have more florescence than an XY. A positive or negative charge is applied to the droplet depending on the type of sperm cell in it. Then, the machine can sort them into different collection tubes, based on the charge on the droplet, as it moves through a magnetic field.