New Evidence For Female Control In Reproduction
(sz) Adding another layer of competition to the mating game, scientists are reporting possible biochemical proof that the reproductive system of female mammals can “sense” the presence of sperm and react to it by changing the uterine environment. This may be the molecular mechanism behind post-copulatory sexual selection, in which females that have mated with several partners play a role in determining which sperm fertilizes their egg.
Lead author Alireza Fazeli says that the deep new molecular insights into this post-coital “ladies’ choice” has profound implications for in-vitro fertilization (IVF), cloning, and animal breeding. It is also a windfall for evolutionary biology, providing a possible explanation for female promiscuity in the animal kingdom, he adds.
Fazeli’s international scientific team reports the first chemical evidence of a sperm recognition system in the oviducts of pigs — standard animals for such research because their reproductive systems are similar to humans. more…
From: »ScienceDaily«