Close X
Thursday, December 12, 2024
ADVT 
Health

'Killer sperm' stops cross-species mating

Darpan News Desk IANS, 30 Jul, 2014 07:36 AM
    In what could offer new insight into how the many species on the earth remain distinct from one another, researchers have found that mating with its different species make some worms sterile and even results in their death.
     
    "The results suggest the interaction between sperm and the female reproductive tract as a novel reason for failed mating in worms," said Eric Haag, associate professor of biology at University of Maryland, US.
     
    When researchers mated caenorhabditis worms of different species, they found that the lifespan of the female worms and their number of progeny were drastically reduced compared with females that mated with the same species.
     
    In addition, females that survived cross-species mating were often sterile, even if they subsequently mated with their own species.
     
    When the researchers observed the sterile and dying female worms under a microscope using a fluorescent stain to visualise sperm in live worms, they discovered that the foreign sperm had broken through the sphincter of the worm's uterus and invaded the ovaries.
     
    There, the sperm prematurely fertilised the eggs, which were then unable to develop into viable offspring.
     
    The sperm eventually destroyed the ovaries, resulting in sterility. It then travelled farther throughout the worm's body, resulting in tissue damage and death.
     
    "The findings may be worth investigating in other species as well, because similar coordination problems may be relevant to infertility in other organisms," Haag added.
     
    The study appeared in the journal PLOS Biology.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Drug to cure Alzheimer's comes step closer

    Drug to cure Alzheimer's comes step closer
    In what could open a new chapter in the development of drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease, for which currently there is no cure, researchers have discovered a new therapeutic target for tackling memory impairment.

    Drug to cure Alzheimer's comes step closer

    Rediscovering Bengali recipes of an earlier era

    Rediscovering Bengali recipes of an earlier era
    It's surprising how vignettes of history often turn up on a foodie's trail. And, when it leads to some innovative Bengali dishes concocted by Basanti Devi, wife of Indian freedom fighter C. R. Das, you know the discovery is priceless and the recipes are worth trying out for the sheer pleasure of experiencing vintage Raj-era Bengal that oddly enough blends well even 67 years after Independence.

    Rediscovering Bengali recipes of an earlier era

    Healthy lifestyle can help you stay 10 years younger

    Healthy lifestyle can help you stay 10 years younger
    An individual who smokes, drinks a lot, is physically inactive and has an unhealthy diet has 2.5 fold higher mortality risk than someone who leads a healthy lifestyle, new research says.

    Healthy lifestyle can help you stay 10 years younger

    Extreme obesity increases risk of dying

    Extreme obesity increases risk of dying
    Adults with extreme obesity have increased risk of dying at a young age from cancer and many other causes, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney and liver diseases, says a new research.

    Extreme obesity increases risk of dying

    Treat exercise as fun to lose extra kilos

    Treat exercise as fun to lose extra kilos
    If you have not been able to shed weight despite those tenuous workout sessions, try this.

    Treat exercise as fun to lose extra kilos

    An apple a day boosts sexual pleasure in women

    An apple a day boosts sexual pleasure in women
    An apple a day not only keeps the doctor away but also boosts sexual pleasure among women.

    An apple a day boosts sexual pleasure in women