Sperm News and Research

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The term sperm refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell. The human sperm cell is haploid, so that its 23 chromosomes can join the 23 chromosomes of the female egg to form a diploid cell.

New insights into the evolution of genomic imprinting

Some of our genes can be expressed or silenced depending on whether we inherited them from our mother or our father.

6 Mar 2024

Novel screening system reveals sperm cell development and health at the molecular level

A novel screening system developed at Kyoto University enables researchers to investigate sperm cell development and health at the molecular level.

5 Mar 2024

If you’re poor, fertility treatment can be out of reach

Mary Delgado's first pregnancy went according to plan, but when she tried to get pregnant again seven years later, nothing happened. After 10 months, Delgado, now 34, and her partner, Joaquin Rodriguez, went to see an OB-GYN.

26 Feb 2024

Research identifies cancer risk patterns in families of men with fertility problems

For the first time researchers have identified patterns of risk for several different types of cancer in men with fertility problems and their families.

22 Feb 2024

Microplastics detected in all human placenta samples

A flurry of recent studies has found that microplastics are present in virtually everything we consume, from bottled water to meat and plant-based food.

21 Feb 2024

Unlocking non-hormonal male contraception with HDAC inhibitors

Surveys show most men in the United States are interested in using male contraceptives, yet their options remain limited to unreliable condoms or invasive vasectomies.

20 Feb 2024

“Laboratory testicles” could solve male infertility mysteries

The testis is responsible for sperm production and testosterone synthesis. Abnormalities in testis development and function lead to disorders of sex development (DSD) and male infertility. Currently, no in vitro system exists for modeling the testis.

20 Feb 2024

Study reveals novel mechanism for longevity of oocytes

Oocytes are immature egg cells that develop in almost all female mammals before birth. The propagation of future generations depends on this finite reserve of cells surviving for many years without incurring damage.

20 Feb 2024

Mediterranean diet linked to better semen quality, study finds

A systematic review reveals that adherence to the Mediterranean diet improves semen quality in men of reproductive age, suggesting a positive impact on male reproductive health.

19 Feb 2024

Study reveals genes crucial for protecting male fertility

Discovery of a pair of genes that work in perfect harmony to protect male fertility, could provide new insights into some unexplained cases of the most severe form of infertility, research suggests.

14 Feb 2024

DDT exposure found to alter sperm epigenome in humans

In a study that signals potential reproductive and health complications in humans, now and for future generations, researchers from McGill University, the University of Pretoria, Université Laval, Aarhus University, and the University of Copenhagen, have concluded that fathers exposed to environmental toxins, notably DDT, may produce sperm with health consequences for their children.

9 Feb 2024

Hormonal steroids could make gonorrhea untreatable

You know that package warning that oral birth control won't prevent STIs? Well in the case of gonorrhea, the sexually transmitted bacterium that causes the disease can use those hormones to help it resist antibiotic attacks.

8 Feb 2024

IVF add-on may be expensive, invasive, and ineffective, study finds

One of the most common add-ons to IVF procedures undertaken in Australia and globally by infertile couples may be a waste of time as well as expensive and invasive, and may even reduce the chances of success, according to a new report in The Lancet.

6 Feb 2024

Simulations crack code of human egg fertilization

Who hasn't seen it before: the view through the microscope in which a sperm penetrates an egg cell and fertilizes it.

5 Feb 2024

Gene variant linked to increased miscarriage risk through disrupted chromosome pairing

Scientists at deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen and their collaborators from Iceland, Denmark and USA published a study today in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology titled "Variant in the synaptonemal complex protein SYCE2 associates with pregnancy loss through effects on recombination".

29 Jan 2024