Spermatozoon
hideA 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
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News tagged with sperm cells
Unlocking the key to human fertility
Aug 03, 2009 |
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Scientists at Leeds and Bradford have discovered a unique 'DNA signature' in human sperm, which may act as a key that unlocks an egg's fertility and triggers new life.
Analysis knocks down theory on origin of cell structure
Apr 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Understanding how living cells originated and evolved into their present forms remains a fundamental research area in biology, one boosted in recent years by the introduction of new tools ...
Putting the squeeze on sperm DNA
Sep 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In the quest for speed, olympic swimmers shave themselves or squeeze into high-tech super-suits. In the body, sperm are the only cells that swim and, as speed is crucial to fertility, have ...
Sea lampreys jettison one-fifth of their genome
Jul 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have discovered that the sea lamprey, which emerged from jawless fish first appearing 500 million years ago, dramatically remodels its genome. Shortly after a fertilized lamprey ...
Size did matter -- evidence of giant sperm found in microfossils
Jun 18, 2009 |
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The mystery of giant sperm present in some living animal groups today has now taken on a new dimension -- in one group of micro-crustaceans new evidence shows that it is a feature at least 100 million years ...
Jumping genes discovery 'challenges current assumptions'
Jun 12, 2009 |
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Jumping genes do most of their jumping, not during the development of sperm and egg cells, but during the development of the embryo itself. The research, published this month in Genes and Development, "challenges standard assump ...
Plant biologists discover gene that switches on 'essence of male'
Mar 20, 2009 |
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Biologists at the University of Leicester have published results of a new study into plant sex - and discovered that a particular gene switches on 'the essence of male'.
Biologists discover gene behind 'plant sex mystery'
Biology /
Oct 22, 2008 |
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An enigma – unique to flowering plants – has been solved by researchers from the University of Leicester (UK) and POSTECH, South Korea. The discovery is reported in the journal Nature on 23 October 2008. ...
Taiwan scientists develop sperm 'efficiency' kit
Sep 17, 2009 |
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Scientists in Taiwan said Thursday they have invented a male fertility home test kit that breaks new ground by measuring the efficiency of sperm cells -- a key factor in determining men's ability to father children.
When you've doubled your genes, what's 1 chromosome more or less?
Sep 14, 2009 |
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An individual with Down syndrome and a male calico cat have one thing in common -- each has an extra chromosome. For animals, most instances of an extra chromosome result in birth defects or even death, but plants are another ...
Chromosome breakpoints contribute to genetic variation
Apr 23, 2009 |
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A new study reveals that - contrary to decades of evolutionary thought - chromosome regions that are prone to breakage when new species are formed are a rich source of genetic variation.
Scientists discover how 'companion' cells to sperm protect them from genetic damage
Biology /
Feb 05, 2009 |
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In plant pollen grains, sperm cells, which carry the genetic material to be passed on to progeny, are cocooned within larger "companion" cells that are called pollen vegetative cells. These companions provide sperm with ...
Silencing of jumping genes in pollen
Biology /
Feb 05, 2009 |
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Scientists at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), in Portugal, are to date the only research group in the world capable of isolating the sperm cells in the pollen grain of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. This ...
Proteins in sperm unlock understanding of male infertility says new study
Biology /
Oct 08, 2008 |
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Proteins found in sperm are central to understanding male infertility and could be used to determine new diagnostic methods and fertility treatments according to a paper published by the journal Molecular and Cellular Pr ...
