Mammalian sperm cannot fertilize an egg from the get-go. It's an ability acquired only after insemination, during passage through the female reproductive tract, and requires two consecutive, time-sensitive processes to provide ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 20, 2021
0
415
A team of researchers from Uppsala University, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Toronto has found that there are benefits for female seed beetles mating with males with extra-long spiny genitalia. In their ...
Millions of sperm enter the race to fertilize, but only one wins the sprint to the egg.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 1, 2020
0
5
A protein called CatSper1 may act as a molecular 'barcode' that helps determine which sperm cells will make it to an egg and which are eliminated along the way.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 1, 2020
0
7
For many livestock species, artificial insemination (AI) is standard. But it can be tricky to achieve success the first time, thanks to variability in ovulation timing across the herd.
Plants & Animals
Sep 17, 2020
0
5
Achieving pregnancy has been shown to be more likely between partners who carry dissimilar human leucocyte antigen (HLA) immune genes. Accordingly, humans are expected to choose HLA dissimilar reproductive partners. Earlier ...
Evolution
Aug 19, 2020
0
124
A simple, reversible chemical treatment can segregate X-bearing sperm from Y-bearing sperm, allowing dramatic alteration of the normal 50/50 male/female offspring ratio, according to a new study by Masayuki Shimada and colleagues ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 13, 2019
1
206
During the mating season, male damselflies battle fiercely for control of prime territories containing resources—typically patches of floating leaves used for egg deposition in wetlands—that are key to attracting females. ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2019
1
9
Sperm start their sprint to the ovum when they detect changes in the environment through a series of calcium channels arranged like racing stripes on their tails. A team of Yale researchers has identified a key molecule that ...
Molecular & Computational biology
May 3, 2019
0
101
A trio of researchers with Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medicine has found evidence that the female reproductive tract may have evolved to favor faster-swimming sperm. In their paper published in the journal Science ...
