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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.

Cord blood banking industry faces scrutiny over unproven claims and high costs

Some private UK biobanks may be misleading expectant parents about the value of storing umbilical cord blood to treat life-threatening diseases that may arise in their child in the future, reveals an investigation by The BMJ, published today.

25 Jul 2024

Hydrogel implant technology offers new hope for women seeking reversible sterilization and endometriosis treatment

Hydrogel implants for reversible fallopian tube occlusion, providing contraception and preventing endometriosis.

19 Jul 2024

CU Boulder research uncovers role of endogenous retroviruses in cancer

Peek inside the human genome and, among the 20,000 or so genes that serve as building blocks of life, you'll also find flecks of DNA left behind by viruses that infected primate ancestors tens of millions of years ago.

18 Jul 2024

Hydrogel implant for fallopian tubes provides dual solution for contraception and endometriosis

Hydrogels have a variety of use cases, including contact lenses, delivering doses of medication within the body, moisturisers, water storage in soil, cleaning polluted water and as gelling and thickening agents.

17 Jul 2024

Before Michigan legalized surrogacy, families found ways around the ban

The first time Tammy and Jordan Myers held their twins, the premature babies were so fragile that their tiny faces were mostly covered by oxygen masks and tubing.

16 Jul 2024

Does being obese or overweight reduce semen quality?

Researchers in China found significant associations between obesity and reduced semen quality in men, with the greatest declines in those with severe obesity. The study emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy weight for male reproductive health.

16 Jul 2024

First-in-class oral drug improves embryo implantation and pregnancy outcomes in IVF

New research has demonstrated the effectiveness of a first-in-class oral, non-hormonal drug in increasing embryo implantation, pregnancy and live birth rates among infertile women who are undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

8 Jul 2024

Fish oil supplement taken by fathers may help combat childhood obesity

A study performed in mice has uncovered a potential new tool to combat the escalating issue of childhood obesity.

29 Jun 2024

Systematic review investigates the psychological experiences of donor-conceived individuals

Children conceived by using egg or sperm donors have the same well-being outcomes as non-donor conceived people.

28 Jun 2024

CRISPR-based genetic technique eradicates malaria mosquitoes with over 99% efficiency

Scientists at the University of California have developed a precision-guided sterile insect technique to eliminate Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, achieving over 99.5% male sterility and 99.9% female lethality, effectively suppressing malaria transmission.

26 Jun 2024

Primitive endoderm in early embryos may be key to creating new effective fertility treatments

An unexpectedly versatile and regenerative stem cell in early embryos may be key to creating new effective fertility treatments, suggests a new study in mice from the University of Copenhagen.

24 Jun 2024

Research finds microplastics in human penile tissue

The accumulation of microplastics in penile tissue to determine potential toxicity concerns.

21 Jun 2024

Study: Hepatitis E virus may be both sexually transmitted and linked to male infertility

Discovering that hepatitis E virus is associated with sperm in pigs suggests the virus may be both sexually transmitted and linked to male infertility, according to a new study.

18 Jun 2024

Germ cells drive sex-dependent lifespan differences in vertebrate animals

Women live longer than men. This isn't unique to humans, either; we see this trend in a wide range of other animals.

12 Jun 2024

HiDEF-seq technique reveals the origins of DNA mutations in single strands

Mutations are changes in the molecular "letters" that make up the DNA code, the blueprint for all living cells. Some of these changes can have little effect, but others can lead to diseases, including cancer.

12 Jun 2024

Sperm counts may not be declining globally, study suggests

The widely held view that sperm counts in men are dropping around the world may be wrong, according to a new study by University of Manchester, Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada and Cryos International, Denmark.

8 Jun 2024

Key protein orco crucial for ant olfactory neuron survival and social behavior

While smell plays a considerable role in the social interactions of humans-;for instance, signaling fear or generating closeness-;for ants, it is vitally important.

7 Jun 2024

Father's diet before conception can impact children's metabolic health, study finds

Research reveals that a father's high-fat diet can influence offspring's metabolic health through changes in sperm mitochondrial RNA, potentially leading to glucose intolerance.

7 Jun 2024

New insights into how fathers' diet before conception can affect children's health

A recent study conducted by Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research provides new insights into how fathers' diets and overweight can affect their children's health even before conception.

5 Jun 2024

Fertility warning: SARS-CoV-2 can linger in sperm for months after infection

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have shown for the first time that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can remain in the sperm of patients for up to 90 days after hospital discharge and up to 110 days after the initial infection, reducing semen quality.

4 Jun 2024