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Some sperm cells swim faster and even poison their competition to climb to the top

Some sperm cells swim faster and even poison their competition to climb to the top To stack the odds in their favor, some sperm cells play dirty tricks on their competition. It takes just one sperm to fertilize a woman’s egg and for each sperm that reaches the egg, there are millions that don’t. You probably knew that already, but here’s the thing: not all sperm cells are equal. Some have mutations in their DNA sequence that allow them to swim straighter, rather than in circles, and faster on average than their competition. What’s more, sperm cells can even employ gruesome tactics, such as poisoning their neighbors in order to enhance their odds of fertilizing the egg.

Some sperms poison their competitors

A genetic factor helps sperm cells outcompete their peers Competition among sperm cells is fierce – they all want to reach the egg cell first to fertilize it. A research team from Berlin now shows in mice that the ability of sperm to move progressively depends on the protein RAC1. Optimal amounts of active protein improve the competitiveness of individual sperm, whereas aberrant activity can cause male infertility. In direct competition, t-sperm outcompete their normal peers (+) in the race for the egg cell with genetic tricks, letting them swim in circles. © MPI f. Molecular Genetics/ Alexandra Amaral It is literally a race for life when millions of sperm swim towards the egg cells to fertilize them. But does pure luck decide which sperm succeeds? As it turns out, there are differences in competitiveness between individual sperm. In mice, a “selfish” and naturally occurring DNA segment breaks the standard rules of genetic inheritance – and awards a s

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