In a scene reminiscent of science fiction or perhaps simply viral internet culture, hundreds of onlookers cheered wildly as teeny-tiny sperm cells zoomed across minuscule racetracks enlarged 100 times on a giant screen in Los Angeles Friday night.
And the mastermind behind such a shocking spectacle? A 17-year-old high school student named Eric Zhu, who funded more than a million dollars to make his unusual dream come true, all for raising awareness about male infertility, reported AFP.
Zhu was motivated by dire reports that sperm counts have fallen by half in the last 50 years and are threatening a world where, as he puts it, “no one will be able to make babies.”
“I just wanted to make people think about reproductive health in a way that they couldn’t ignore,” Zhu explained to AFP.
Microscope, pipettes, and a race for awareness
During the event’s climactic moment, a man in a white coat delicately set contestants’ semen samples onto two-millimeter-long paths. As the sperm started their microscopic dash, the video was piped through 3D animation software and streamed live to a screaming crowd.
“There’s no way to really tell if this is real, but I want to believe it is” offered Felix Escobar, a 20-year-old onlooker smiling at the ridiculousness of it all.
After the race concluded, a tradition that prevailed was drenching the loser — 19-year-old UC student Asher Proeger — with a fluid suspiciously appearing to be semen, causing roars from the crowd.
No Musk moves here
In spite of the event’s emphasis on fertility, Zhu kept his distance from the burgeoning pro-natalist movement, whose members include conservatives and celebrities such as Elon Musk.
“I have nothing to do with this,” Zhu stated firmly. “I’m not like Elon Musk, who wants to repopulate the Earth.”
Musk, a Trump supporter, has publicly warned of the risks of population decline and fathered over a dozen children with multiple women.
Zhu, though, set his sperm race in terms of individual health decisions instead of politics.
“It’s your decision to go to bed earlier. It’s your decision to quit doing drugs. It’s your decision to eat better,” he said. “All of these impact your sperm motility.”
Science, satire, and silliness
Scientists are still at odds about whether sperm counts have really dropped, with studies providing inconsistent information. But experts such as reproductive epidemiologist Shanna Swan, who authored a landmark study on the topic, are warning that “hormonally active chemicals” in the environment are probably affecting fertility.
Nevertheless, Friday night’s show danced on the edge of awareness and silliness. Some of the guests wore elaborate costumes, one of them being a depiction of male genitals, while hosts made off-color jokes and insulted contestants live on stage.
A YouTube livestream of the madcap spectacle attracted more than 100,000 views.
As 22-year-old Alberto Avila-Baca shrugged, “I can’t say I learned stuff I didn’t know before. but it was definitely unforgettable.”
