Despite all of the research into fertility and reproduction, surprisingly little is known about the individual cell structures involved. The latest research into this area could lead to improvements in fertility treatments and their success rates. The latest discovery relates to sperm cells and their structure. A new imaging technique called cryogenic electric tomography (cryo-ET for short) allows researchers to see cells in 3D – this gives them unprecedented insight into how cells move and interact with each other. This additional dimension allowed researchers to see a new helix structure at the tip of the sperm cell’s tail, which had never been seen before. The study has been published in Scientific Reports, and could provide insights into why some sperm... View Article
Newspaper headlines last month reported that Olympic long jump champion, Greg Rutherford, has frozen a sample of his sperm due to concerns over contracting the Zika Virus at the Summer Olympic Games in Brazil this year. The month prior, 150 health experts signed a petition to the organisers, urging for the games to be moved or delayed because of the outbreak of the mosquito borne virus, which can cause crippling birth defects in babies, as well as being linked to the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome in adults. On the other hand, Leonardo Picciani, Brazil’s sports minister, said that the number of people who contract the illness (for which there is no cure) will be “close to zero”. Regardless, many people... View Article
Men and women are having children later and later in life, the average age of first time parents is still rising; in the 1990s the average age of fatherhood in England and Wales was 31, now it is 33. Previously a disproportionate focus was put on the mother’s age when considering reproductive health, but more recent research has shown that the father’s age plays a huge role as well. The sperm becomes more prone to errors, which increases the risk of conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, and other genetic disorders. Bioethicists are concerned that if these trends continue, a greater proportion of the population is likely to suffer from genetic disorders – ones that we have no real cure for... View Article
