The far end of the tail of a human sperm has been studied scientifically a bit less than the other parts of the sperm’s structure. A new study suggests that this little chunk is a fairly important part of the sperm’s swimming mechanism. “Doing more with less: The flagellar end piece enhances the propulsive effectiveness […]
Tag: sperm
Sperm Bags Research (and other Disgusting Research)
“Sperm Bags Research—thinking and looking outside the bag” is one of the articles in the special Disgusting Research issue (volume 25, number 4) of the Annals of Improbable Research. Subscribe, if you dare, to the magazine!
Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Hanns Hatt and the smell of a woman
Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Hanns Hatt (actually, Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Med. Habil. Hanns Hatt) of the Department of Cell Physiology at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, is in hot pursuit of understanding — understanding, especially, the many and varied roles played by olfaction. In a word: smell. Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Hatt’s home page lists a few of […]
The doc who gave out while giving sperm
“Details, please!” is the hope and plea of medical professionals everywhere, about a train of medical events reported to have happened in Wuhan, China. The hope is that the attending physicians involved in the case will publish a formal case report in a good-quality medical journal. The case, thus far, has been told only in the general […]
Banding-together of breeders: Seven sperm abreast
Ig Nobel Prize winner Mahadevan (2007 Ig Nobel physics prize, for studying how sheets become wrinkled) and colleagues have taken an applied-mathematical look at yet another unanswered question. As happens so often with Mahadevan and his merry, varying band of collaborators, a better-than-anyone-had-before answer appeared. Details are in this study: “The dynamics of sperm cooperation in a competitive […]
The omnibus mixed-up paternity/genetics/academics adventure of T. Lippert
The Faculty Lounge blog has a long (but riveting!) account of the very strange story of Tom Lippert. One of its many aspects echoes of the story of Cecil Jacobson (Dr. Jacobson was awarded the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in biology for devising a simple, single-handed method of quality control. [REFERENCE: “The Babymaker : Fertility Fraud and the Fall […]
Sperm whale compared with sperm: Fluid dynamics
Sperm whales, sperm, the Reynolds number, Osborne Reynolds, Ed Purcell, and bacteria all figure in this short, clear video prepared by Aatish Bahaia and Brad Purnell:
Coca-Cola off-use investigator will return to take a bow
Dr. Deborah Anderson is one of many past Ig Nobel Prize winners who will return to take a bow at this year’s ceremony and help honor the new winners. The 2008 Ig Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to Sharee A. Umpierre of the University of Puerto Rico, Joseph A. Hill of The Fertility Centers […]
(Walnuts + Sperm) vs. (Coke + Sperm)
A new study about the effect of walnuts begs comparison with the Ig Nobel Prize-winning study “Effect of ‘Coke’ on Sperm Motility“. The new study is: “Walnuts Improve Semen Quality in Men Consuming a Western-style Diet: Randomized Control Dietary Intervention Trial,” Wendie A. Robbins [pictured here], Lin Xun, Leah Z. FitzGerald, Samantha Esguerra, Susanne M. Henning, […]
“How is a giant sperm ejaculated?”
Now, at last comes an answer (perhaps the answer) to the question, “How is a giant sperm ejaculated?” The answer is in the form of a published study: “How is a giant sperm ejaculated? Anatomy and function of the sperm pump, or ‘Zenker organ,’ in Pseudocandona marchica (Crustacea, Ostracoda, Candonidae),” Shinnosuke Yamada (pictured here) and […]