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sperm
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2008
sperm or spermatozoon , in biology, the male gamete (sex cell), corresponding to the female ovum in organisms that reproduce sexually. In higher animals the sperm is produced in the testis of the male; it is much smaller than the ovum and consists primarily of a head, whose nucleus bears the hereditary material (see chromosome ) of the male parent, and a slender whiplike process (flagellum), which provides the motility necessary for fertilization in a fluid medium. In higher plants the sperm is contained in the pollen grain and is conveyed to the ovum by the pollen tube; in some lower plants (e.g., mosses and ferns) the sperm is actively motile.
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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research
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Sperm really can tell us everything we ever wanted to know about sex ; HOME
The Independent - London; 11/13/2006; Steve Connor; 657 words
; Woody Allen's famous portrayal of a neurotic sperm in Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex was based on comic intuition rather than academic study. But now scientists claim to have uncovered for the first time the complex workings of the male sex cell. According to a new study, far from
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Diary of a rejected sperm donor
The Independent - London; 5/28/1996; Simon Evans; 1030 words
; Mid-March I have decided to become a sperm donor. After all, I give blood - why not sperm? Since I work from home, I have the time to do it. I will earn some money - about pounds 20 per trip. It will be an interesting experience: a good conversation topic at parties. I am not in a relationship and,
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Zona blasters: there's more than one way to crack an egg. (new methods to give sperm a better chance of penetrating the outer shell of a human egg) (Cover Story)
Science News; 12/15/1990; Fackelmann, Kathy A.; 1975 words
; ... include 48 pregnancies and 19 healthy babies, Cohen told SCIENCE NEWS. Trying to spear a microscopic egg with an even tinier needle ... egg membrane and reach the egg interior, Gordon told SCIENCE NEWS. The finding, he says, may help clinicians fine-tune the incubation ...
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 "Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)")
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Carnal A new respect for sperm.
Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA); 11/20/2006; 725 words
; ... 215-854-4977 or fflam@phillynews.com. Copyright (c) 2006, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write ...
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A new respect for sperm.
Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA); 11/23/2006; Flam, Faye; 815 words
; ... Services. ___ TO SUBSCRIBE TO LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS Items in the Love & Relationships package are not included in your MCT News Service subscription. You can subscribe to the Love & Relationships package or purchase the items a la carte on MCT Direct ...
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Scientists find sperm's sex potion.
Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA); 5/11/2006; 721 words
; ... Services. ___ TO SUBSCRIBE TO LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS Items in the Love & Relationships package are not included in your KRT News Service subscription. You can subscribe to the Love & Relationships package or purchase the items a la carte on KRT Direct ...
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Baby is born from sperm frozen for 21 years
The Scotsman; 5/25/2004; Tara Womersley Health Correspondent; 599 words
; ... development manager for Infertility Network UK, welcomed the news. But she added: "We need not to lose track of what is important ... having to have cancer treatment this is obviously very welcome news. "However it is not hugely surprising. From animal studies, the ...
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Unlocking Mystery of Fertilization; Sperm Gets Into Egg Like Virus Enters Cell
The Washington Post; 3/23/1992; Boyce Rensberger; 1035 words
; The way a sperm gets into an egg, scientists have found, is rather like the way a virus infects a cell. It is also like the way snake venom acts on blood. Those are two of the conclusions that have emerged from research on the remarkable ways sperm and egg interact at fertilization. During most of
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Researchers show sperm chemically drawn to egg Discovery could aid fertility, contraception
Oakland Tribune; 3/28/2003; Paul Recer, Associated Press; 614 words
; WASHINGTON -- Like a hummingbird following fragrance to a flower, the sperm follows chemical attractants to find the egg. Researchers now have identified a key part of the process and say the discovery could lead to a new form of contraception that does not depend on hormones, or to help for
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Chemical that attracts sperm to egg found
Sunday Gazette-Mail; 3/30/2003; Paul Recer; 617 words
; WASHINGTON - Like a hummingbird following fragrance to a flower, the male sperm follows chemical attractants to find the female egg. Researchers now have identified a key part of the process and say the discovery could lead to a new form of contraception that does not depend on hormones, or to help
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Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses
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sperm whale
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
... oceans. It is also called cachalot. Male sperm whales may grow to more than 70 ft (21 ... of the body; there is no dorsal fin. The sperm whale has a single nostril on the left ... horny sheaths to receive the lower teeth. Sperm whales travel long distances, following ...
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sperm
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
... spermatozoon Male reproductive cell . In mammals, sperm are produced in the testes and travel through ... reproductive system . At fertilization , one sperm of the roughly 300 million in an average ... process (spermatogenesis). A mature human sperm has a flat, almond-shaped head, with a ...
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sperm competition
A Dictionary of Zoology
sperm competition The competition to fertilize an ovum that occurs among sperm from different males when the female has mated with more than one partner. It is believed that certain sperms, different ...
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pygmy sperm whale
A Dictionary of Zoology
pygmy sperm whale ( Kogia breviceps ) See PHYSETERIDAE .
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sperm oil
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
liquid wax obtained from the sperm whale, or cachalot, and related marine mammals. It flows readily, is clear, and varies in color from pale yellow to brownish yellow ...
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