When An Egg And Sperm Meet There Are Actually Sparks
- 9 years ago
Researchers have found that upon fertilization, mammal eggs actually release sparks made of billions of zinc atoms.
Researchers have found that upon fertilization, mammal eggs actually release sparks made of billions of zinc atoms.
For the first time, this magical moment was captured and the images were included as part of a study published in the journal ‘Nature Chemistry.’
The group who was able to obtain the pictures hails from Northwestern University, and they’re hopeful that their discovery will lead to advances in identifying which eggs are the best candidates for fertility treatments.
According to one of the study’s authors, the fireworks begin when the egg’s surface is first permeated.
It then rests dormant for a bit before releasing subsequent zinc explosions.
These function as what’s likened to a power switch, signaling the start of the embryo formation process.
Getting to the point where zinc’s role in the reproductive process could be seen and understood to this degree took 6 years.
Now that the team better understands how major a player it is in the egg’s ability to successfully morph into a platform for the development more complex life, further study is planned.
Among their next goals is to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between the quality of the sparks and egg viability.
Researchers have found that upon fertilization, mammal eggs actually release sparks made of billions of zinc atoms.
For the first time, this magical moment was captured and the images were included as part of a study published in the journal ‘Nature Chemistry.’
The group who was able to obtain the pictures hails from Northwestern University, and they’re hopeful that their discovery will lead to advances in identifying which eggs are the best candidates for fertility treatments.
According to one of the study’s authors, the fireworks begin when the egg’s surface is first permeated.
It then rests dormant for a bit before releasing subsequent zinc explosions.
These function as what’s likened to a power switch, signaling the start of the embryo formation process.
Getting to the point where zinc’s role in the reproductive process could be seen and understood to this degree took 6 years.
Now that the team better understands how major a player it is in the egg’s ability to successfully morph into a platform for the development more complex life, further study is planned.
Among their next goals is to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between the quality of the sparks and egg viability.