‘There’s a huge amount that we don’t understand’: Why sperm is still so mysterious
June 16, 2025

(BBC) – How do sperm swim? How do they navigate? What is sperm made of? What does a World War Two codebreaker have to do with it all? The BBC untangles why we know so little about this mysterious cell.
With every heartbeat, a man can produce around 1,000 sperm – and during intercourse, more than 50 million of the intrepid swimmers set out to fertilise an egg. Only a few make it to the final destination, before a single sperm wins the race and penetrates the egg.
But much about this epic journey – and the microscopic explorers themselves – remains a mystery to science. (Read More)