Quality, quantity, and freshness in the reproductive game
Thursday, June 4, 2015 - 09:00
in Psychology & Sociology
(Phys.org)—Many intuitions drawn from our machine world do not smoothly extended to the biological. Whereas the screws or other fasteners used in an automobile typically tend to loosen over time with use, the hardware found in cells tends to tighten with use. This 'use it or lose it' design philosophy applies not only to minds and muscles, but to gonads, perhaps most obviously to the eggs. Although fathers have also come under increasing fire for raising questionable sperm, particularly at age, in many instances the real culprit can be traced simply to sperm age.