Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery that explains how eggs are fertilised. A 14 year study concluded that sperm harpoon the egg to facilitate fertilization.Researchers found a protein within the head of the sperm forms spiky filaments, suggesting that these tiny filaments may lash together the sperm and its target.
Tag: sperm
Stinky Gas Invigorates Sperm
Hydrogen sulphide, a gas known for its rotten egg smell, may be able to help men improve the quality of their sperm and thus their fertility, if a National University of Singapore (NUS) study on animals is translatable to humans. Published in the journal Nitric Oxide, the new findings can potentially give rise to new approaches in treating male infertility.
Are Vasectomies Reversible? 5 Facts You Should Know About The Form of Male Birth Control
It is true that a vasectomy procedure is simpler than female sterilization surgery. It’s an outpatient surgery where a doctor blocks the vas deferens — the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to other glands, where the sperm mixes with other fluids and become semen, the stuff that comes out when a man ejaculates. A man who has had a vasectomy still ejaculates, but because his vas deferens are blocked, his semen no longer contains sperm, and thus he can no longer get a partner pregnant. And vasectomies are indeed very effective — they have a failure rate of less than one percent.
Defective Sperm ‘Rescued’ in Fertility Treatment Study
Researchers from Cardiff University have successfully demonstrated that a previously identified ‘kick-starter’ protein can ‘rescue’ defective sperm and be used to create healthy embryos in animal models.
Thailand Commercial Surrogacy Ban Takes Effect
A law banning commercial surrogacy took effect in Thailand on Thursday, the public health ministry said.The law made it illegal for clinics to provide surrogacy services, including the buying and selling of sperm and eggs, and the renting of wombs by surrogate mothers.
Gene Editing Boosts the Efficiency of Sperm Replacement Cells
Using gene editing technology, researchers have overcome imprinting errors to improve the birth rate from fertilization with sperm replacement cells ten times.
Oldest fossilised animal sperm discovered in Antarctica
The oldest known animal sperm fossil has been discovered in a 50-million-year-old cocoon from Antarctica.
Genetic Test May Help Spot Male Fertility Problems
A new genetic test for sperm could help determine whether a couple should resort to in vitro fertilization to conceive a child, researchers say.
Worried About Low Sperm Count? Here’s What to Do Next
Infertility is on the rise in Australia with one in six Australian couples currently experiencing challenges with falling pregnant. Of the causes of infertility, reduced sperm count (and/or quality) accounts for around one third of cases. One of the questions, then, commonly asked of a GP in relation to difficulties with conceiving is what to do about a low sperm count?
A Key Role for CEP63 in Brain Development and Fertility Discovered
Today in Nature Communications, scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) provide molecular details about Seckel Syndrome, a rare disease that causes microcephaly, or small brain, and growth delays. A joint study conducted by Travis Stracker and Jens Lüders indicates that the protein CEP63 plays a key role during brain development as it is involved in the correct division of stem cells in this organ. Furthermore, the researchers have discovered that CEP63 is associated with sperm production—an unknown function until now.