Even the birds and the bees are confused.

Scientists are developing a new process called in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG, using skin or blood cells to create babies. The process would allow same-sex couples and women past menopause to conceive, according to Freethink.

In the future, couples may still have sex, but not necessarily to procreate; babies will be “made” in a lab, the report said.

With science and technology moving along at the speed of light, transporting us into alternate realities, who can keep up?

In 2001, the successful birth of the world’s first genetically engineered babies — 30 in total — was announced. The public heard about it 10 years later.

The children were created using genes from two women and one man — technically having the genetic traits of three parents. The long-term ramifications are still unknown. 

A patent for a DNA testing database, which would be used by prospective parents to find out which traits their future offspring might inherit has drawn the ire of critics, who call it “ethically and socially treacherous.”

The genetic modification of humans has kept pace with the genetic engineering of plants, being just a few years behind as far as technology.

In addition to patenting its own genetically engineered seeds, Monsanto has also patented a large number of common crop seeds or, in other words — patenting life forms — without a single vote of the people or Congress. 

CRISPR gene-editing technology brought science fiction to life with its ability to cut and paste DNA fragments, potentially eliminating serious inherited diseases. But, CRISPR may have significant unintended consequences to your DNA, including large deletions and complex rearrangements.

The DNA deletions could end up activating genes that should stay “off,” such as cancer-causing genes, as well as silencing those that should be “on.”

Gene-editing technology is moving so fast that innovations are occurring before their full implications are known or fully understood.

The idea of “designer babies” created in a lab is no longer the fictitious plot of a sci-fi movie.

In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences and Medicine stated DNA in germline cells, such as embryos, eggs and sperm, may be altered to eliminate genetic diseases. Progress is being made in tackling genetic diseases such as sickle-cell anemia and certain forms of blindness and muscular dystrophy.