fertilization

A species that transports the spermatia of red algae is the first known instance of an animal facilitating fertilization in this ancient photosynthetic lineage.

A study finds that roots grow deeper than typical into southeastern pocket gophers tunnel networks, raising the possibility that the rodents cultivate their food.

The identification of the transcription factors that elicit oocyte growth will aid reproductive biology research and might help women with fertility issues, scientists say.  

Researchers disentangle complex connections among vegetation, herbivores, and dung in the South African savanna.

In South Africa, the composition of droppings varies by species’ body sizes, and which animals are found where depends on vegetation density.

Videos reveal how a female squid fertilizes her eggs—one at a time and without spilling much stored sperm.

The artificially motorized cells may one day help fight cancers in the female reproductive tract.

New technologies reveal the dynamic changes in mouse and human embryos during the first week after fertilization.

The switch from maternal factors involves dynamic reprogramming of the zygotic genome.

Differences in the replicative advantages conferred by some mitochondrial DNA haplotypes have implications for mitochondrial replacement therapy, researchers report. 

Researchers report the first evidence that acidified waters alter the ocellated wrasse’s reproductive behavior in the wild.

Two drugs targeting a protein in sperm cause reversible infertility in male mice, providing new hope for a male contraceptive.

Scientists report for the first time that a snail’s seminal fluid proteins can suppress the mating success of the male side of its hermaphroditic partner.

Male dwarf spiders deploy sperm-blocking plugs to thwart the reproductive chances of their mate’s subsequent suitors.

The oviducts of pigs exhibit different gene expression profiles depending on their exposure to sperm with either an X or a Y chromosome, a study shows. 

New noninvasive methods of selecting the most viable embryo could revolutionize in vitro fertilization.

Chemical cues dispersed by mussel eggs may attract sperm that are their perfect match.

Irradiated sperm of young male mice induce mutations in eggs upon fertilization, a phenomenon that may pose risks for the children of cancer survivors.