Talk about fireworks in the bedroom.
When a sperm cell fuses with an egg, it triggers the sudden release of zinc atoms from the egg's surface. That's been known since 2011. Now, for the first time ever, scientists have observed these "sparks" in action and figured out where they come from.
“The egg first has to stockpile zinc and then must release some of the zinc to successfully navigate maturation, fertilization and the start of embryogenesis,” Dr. Thomas V. O’Halloran, a professor of chemistry and molecular biosciences at Northwestern University in Chicago and one of the scientists, said in a written statement. “But exactly how much zinc is involved in this remarkable process and where is it in the cell? We needed data to better understand the molecular mechanisms at work as an egg becomes a new organism.”
I had no idea! (See video at The Huffington Post link above.)
17 December 2014
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