How do man's seeds know where to reach?
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seVen (
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May 31st, 2008
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21 Answers
Well, they don’t ask for directions, that’s for sure!
I was going to say GSP, but then remembered this from Eambos.
It’s really an Iron Man contest.
Can’t say for sure, but a cursory search on the web points to a chemically based process. Chemotaxis is one possible explanation—that the in utero environment creates a chemical trail for the sperm to follow. The other lookup on spermatozoa suggests that a calcium ion exchange excites the sperm and gets it moving as it gets closer to the egg.
Plus, what she said.
@ Gail. I can NOT stop laughing at your answer! That was priceless.
Well, we know they won’t stop and ask for directions ;)
I’ve always thought that there were just so many of them that it’s inevitable some would hit the mark. Not that they were actually drawn to it. I’d imagine that some of the less lucky ones were also trying to bury themselves in the walls of whatever female parts they get into. What’s that tube called?
@breedmitch, not unlike many of us hapless males. ;-)
@Brian; there are two fallopian tubes – one attached to each ovary…I’ll stop the anatomy lesson there. And only one lucky guy gets in – or occasionally two (for identical twins) or one who is bi-polar for fraternal twins.
Thank g-d that wasn’t on the test.
I’ve always thought the consummation of mammalian reproduction (sperm getting to egg, that is) was an analog of how primitive sea creatures reproduce: sponges, corals, and orders of life I don’t know spawn with tiny swimmers that use a variety of chemical clues to find their mark.
we just reproduce that ancient sea within ourselves (now that we have dragged ourselves up onto the land) and its the same old dance.
perhaps the biggest difference for us is that instead of spawning once a year, we try to keep it up all the time.
many puns not intended.
Just remember that no matter what happens for the rest of your life, in one very important race….you were the clear winner.
@ jholler – Lurve for your answer.
Wait…DAMMIT. I am a fraternal twin. So their were two eggs. That means I tied, and my brother was born first so I lost the tiebreaker.
Isn’t it better to sometimes share?
they go every which direction like spam mail, and it only takes one.
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