Mathematicians reveal secret to human sperm's swimming prowess
Researchers have discovered what gives human sperm the strength to succeed in the race to fertilise the egg.
Mathematics
Mar 19, 2019
4
595
News tagged with sperm tails
The mechanical properties of sperm tails revealed
Scientists at the University of York have shown that a sperm tail utilizes interconnected elastic springs to transmit mechanical information to distant parts of the tail, helping it to bend and ultimately swim toward an egg.
General Physics
May 31, 2017
3
187
Unless they crane their necks all sperm would only turn left
Spermatozoa need to crane their necks to turn right to counteract a left-turning drive caused by the rotation of their tails, new research has found.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 7, 2015
5
1084
Miniature magnetic swimming devices to revolutionise diagnostics and drug delivery
Scientists have created miniature magnetic swimming devices – which mimic the appearance of sperm cells – that could revolutionise disease treatment by swimming drugs to specific areas of the body.
Soft Matter
Oct 2, 2018
0
150
Single molecule puts sperm on track
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
Fast, efficient sperm tails inspire nanobiotechnology
Just like workers in a factory, enzymes can create a final product more efficiently if they are stuck together in one place and pass the raw material from enzyme to enzyme, assembly line-style. That's according to scientists ...
Biochemistry
Dec 2, 2016
0
298
Mosquito sperm have 'sense of smell'
Vanderbilt biologists have discovered that mosquito sperm have a "sense of smell" and that some of same chemicals that the mosquito can smell cause the sperm to swim harder.
Plants & Animals
Feb 3, 2014
0
0
Keeping sperm cells on track
An essential component of every eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells. Cilia and flagella, which are antenna-like structures ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 7, 2021
0
82
How to spot winning sperm: Examine their racing stripes
Millions of sperm enter the race to fertilize, but only one wins the sprint to the egg.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 1, 2020
0
5
Key protein in sperm tail assembly identified
A study published in the Journal of Cell Biology focuses on the development of the sperm tail, the structure that enables sperm cells to swim and is therefore critical for male fertility.
Cell & Microbiology
May 11, 2018
0
10
