Important Discovery in Biology: Sperm Movement Patterns
Important discovery in the field of biology was made as part of a recent study, published in the journal Nature Communications. The graduate student James Kass, together with colleagues, demonstrated that the tail of a sperm, known as a flagella, creates patterns during movement that correspond to the theory of reaction-diffusion proposed by Alan Turing. This theory was originally developed to explain the formation of patterns in chemical reactions.
Alan Turing, perhaps the most famous of his work on the hacking of German communication Enigma code during World War II. But he also put forward the theory according to which patterns can be formed simply due to the spread (diffusion) of chemical compounds and reactions with each other. This became known as theory of reaction-diffusion of the formation of patterns.
Researchers found that the movement of spermatozoa is mathematically similar to how patterns are formed in nature, for example, on the skin of Zebr and Leopards, in the distribution of sunflower seeds and patterns on the sand of the beaches. They used mathematical modeling and simulations to understand how the environment affects the movement of spermatozoa. The results showed that low viscosity fluids characteristic of the aquatic environment have a minimal effect on the shape of a flagella.
Mathematics of the movement of the flagella sperm is very complicated. The flagellum uses “motors” molecular scale for an effective change in form. They use energy in one form and convert it into mechanical work, creating a movement. These engines drive tiny fibers, which exist in a