Learn From Sperm - A Swimming Lesson

//Sperm Dynamics//

Excuse the title but you’re here now and interested, right? It’s not every day that we discover something new about sperm, the male reproductive cells. In a race to the egg, sperm is depicted with a head and tail that is responsible for its swimming function. Almost tadpole like, the tail wriggles and propels many of cells towards their target where they can burrow and fertilise an egg. The burrowing process is something to emphasise on as new technology has given us greater insight into the behaviour of sperm and its swimming mechanics.

//Microscopy Technology//

3-D microscopy is a high speed imaging technology that allows us to take a look at living cells/creatures at greater detail by achieving resolutions and speeds to capture movements and behaviour, frame by frame. This technology can be applied to many areas and it has served as a useful gateway to understanding shapes, movement and general dynamics of cells in many species. Applying the same technology to reproductive cells yields similar results and the discoveries reveal a key detail about the way sperm moves as it swims. Initially thought to be a wriggling motion, the results show that sperm propels itself forward with a simultaneous rotation motion. This is different to initial observation of symmetrical movement. The biggest clue to this new insight was held in the molecular structure of the Sperm’s tail. Contrary to the two dimensional motion and structure, the tail of a sperm cell does not wiggle in a 2-D plane. It continues to provide motion in direction while rotating, providing a drilling or corkscrew motion through fluid.

//Swim Forwards//

Great, we now know a little more how sperm cells manoeuvre. While it won’t really improve your front stroke in the pool, it’s valuable insight into the intricate details of sperm behaviour. This level of observation may lead to new tools that will gain greater grounds around male infertility and perhaps other relationships in the body may be uncovered. Technology is an important part of science as it continues to provide great levels of investigation into sources and areas that were not possible in the entirety of our scientific history. Uncovering these intricacies can lead to novel forms of treatment and techniques in other sectors too. The more we understand the world around us, inspiration will naturally flow into other fields of research.

Sources

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190927112453.htm
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/human-sperm-tail-swim-biophysics