News tagged with sperm cells

One cell is all you need: Innovative technique can sequence entire genome from single cell

The notion that police can identify a suspect based on the tiniest drop of blood or trace of tissue has long been a staple of TV dramas, but scientists at Harvard have taken the idea a step further. Using ...

Genetics created Jan 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sperm crawl and collide on way to egg, researchers say

Scientists at the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick have shed new light on how sperm navigate the female reproductive tract, 'crawling' along the channel walls and swimming around corners; with frequent collisions.

Medical research created May 07, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Ultrasound male contraceptive, overlooked for decades, confirmed to work

Imagine a contraceptive that could, with one or two painless 15-minute non-surgical treatments, provide months of protection from pregnancy. And imagine that the equipment needed were already in physical therapists' ...

Other created Jan 30, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

The end of the 'Lily of the Valley phenomenon' in sperm research?

According to a 2003 study by German and American scientists, a component of the Lily of the Valley scent known as Bourgeonal alters the calcium balance of human sperm and attracts the sperm. The "Lily of the Valley phenomenon" ...

Medical research created Feb 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cigarette smoke damages DNA in reproductive cells of fathers, these changes inherited by offspring

When shopping for dad's Father's Day gift, consider what he gave you when you were conceived. If he smoked, your genes are likely damaged, and your odds for diseases increased. A report in the FASEB Journal shows that men wh ...

Medical research created Jun 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists record electrical currents that control male fertility

Performance anxiety? Not for this human sperm.

Medical research created Dec 29, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 2

Cell phone use may reduce male fertility

Men who have been diagnosed with poor sperm quality and who are trying to have children should limit their cell phone use. Researchers have found that while cell phone use appears to increase the level of testosterone circulating ...

Medical research created May 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sperm discoveries shed light on infertility and birth control

(Medical Xpress) -- For a sperm cell, a lot has to go right before it can fertilize an egg. And despite biblical stories of barren women and cultural traditions of blaming the female, fertility experts now ...

Medical research created Oct 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists link dietary DHA to male fertility

Who knew that male fertility depends on sperm-cell architecture? A University of Illinois study reports that a certain omega-3 fatty acid is necessary to construct the arch that turns a round, immature sperm cell into a pointy-headed ...

Health created Jan 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Gene involved in sperm-to-egg binding is key to fertility in mammals

Experts from Durham University have identified a new gene that could help the development of fertility treatments in humans in the future.

Medical research created May 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Male mice exposed to chronic social stress have anxious female offspring

A study in mice conducted by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) suggests that a woman's risk of anxiety and dysfunctional social behavior may depend on the experiences of her parents, particularly fathers, ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Aug 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sperm precursor cells made in the lab could one day restore male fertility

(Medical Xpress)—Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be coaxed into becoming precursor sperm cells, suggesting that it might be possible one day to restore fertility ...

Medical research created Aug 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Stem cell study: Male fertility can be restored after cancer treatment

An injection of banked sperm-producing stem cells can restore fertility to male primates who become sterile due to cancer drug side effects, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and ...

Medical research created Nov 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Sorting out fertility after childhood cancer

As success rates in treating childhood cancers have improved, greater emphasis is being placed on quality of life issues following successful treatment. Many cancer treatments can lead to infertility, but there are few methods ...

Cancer created Mar 15, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Spermatozoon

A sperm, from the ancient Greek word σπέρμα (seed) and ζῷον (living being) and more commonly known as a sperm cell, is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. It joins an ovum to form a zygote. A zygote is a single cell, with a complete set of chromosomes, that normally develops into an embryo.

Sperm cells contribute half of the genetic information to the diploid offspring. In mammals, the sex of the offspring is determined by the sperm cell: a spermatozoon bearing a Y chromosome will lead to a male (XY) offspring, while one bearing an X chromosome will lead to a female (XX) offspring (the ovum always provides an X chromosome). Sperm cells were first observed by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1677.

For more information about Spermatozoon, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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