Question

This may sound weird but.... I am studying animal reproduction and was wondering if a dog male could get a human female pregnant? I know its weird but for school. ( I am homeschooled )

Answer 1

No. Definitely not.

Differences in chromosome number, genetic pathways and mechanisms would prevent this.

Answer 2

So it is totally impossible?

Answer 3

Definitely, completely, utterly and absolutely impossible.

Answer 4

How are you sure? I am doing this for a test....

Answer 5

No offense....

Answer 6

As I explained, dogs and humans don't even have the same number of chromosomes. Even if a dog sperm fertilized a human egg (we're talking experiments in test tubes as, shall we say, mechanical incompatibility would make the in vivo alternative impossible), it's unlikely that it would stimulate it to divide, the fertilized cell wouldn't be able to go through even a single round of cell division without homologous chromosomes.

And if by some miracle or biologic impossibility it did, the slightly different intracellular signalling pathways, gene regulatory networks and mechanisms would be so disrupted that continued survival and development is out of the question.

Did your teacher or whomever is instructing you suggest that this is possible?

Answer 7

Clear?

Answer 8

So even if it did happen, the egg would die in the human and never be born therefore killing the human?

Answer 9

Not the human, the single fertilized cell. A human and a single fertilized cell are not synonymous - let's make that distinction from the get go. A single cell dying is not "killing a human."

But yes, if it ever did happen the single fertilized cell would die.

Answer 10

SO the human would not die?

Answer 11

And the human would go on living a normal life?

Answer 12

NO!

The single fertilized cell would die. Definitely, certainly, without a doubt, NO - except the cells are so incompatible with each other that fertilization would not have taken place in the first place.

And why do you refer to it as "the human" instead of "the dog" when it - whatever it is - would, hypothetically speaking, have as much genetic material from the dog as from the human?

Answer 13

Because I know the dog would be fine. He IS the male not carrying the creature. So the human would not die? Would the human have to go through surgery to remove the dead cell?

Answer 14

I want to be a vet very badly when I grow up so that is why I am asking this.... :)

Answer 15

Point 1. A dog sperm cell cannot fertilize a human egg. Plain, simple, end of all possibility of a human/dog hybrid.

Point 2. If by some miracle that happened, the fertilized cell could not go through a single round of cell division for no end of good reasons. These reasons include, but are not limited to, chromosomal incompatibility and other extreme genetic incompatibilities.

3. Point 3. This has nothing to do on whether the "offspring" - I don't say "baby" - is inside a test tube or in a normal person as in a normal pregnancy.

Why is this not clear from my answers above?

Answer 16

Oh okay! Sorry! That was very helpful. Thanks so much! One last question though: Would the human have to get the dead egg/cell removed?

Answer 17

No, it would just disintegrate on its own.

Answer 18

Thank you SO much! You are the best person on this site! I passed the test! YES!!!! YAY!!!!

Answer 19

I know this is a little late, but I agree with blues. IT CAN NOT HAPPEN!!!

Answer 20

Thanks!

Answer 21

I am homeschooled too! This is a great site for homeschoolers as we have no one to study with IN SCHOOL.

Answer 22

Right?!?! I mean, we get harder stuff, but no one to study with! Whats your curriculum?

Answer 23

Can we private message in this? If so, I will with you.

Answer 24

Yes. Lets do that KnitWit.

Answer 25

How do we?

Answer 26

Just click on my name and send fan mail. Easy!

Answer 27

Thanks!