Sex in space? Sperm struggles to navigate during weightless sex
This human, mouse and pig study, published Thursday (March 26) in the journal Communications Biology, revealed that sperm became disoriented, mouse eggs had fewer successful fertilizations, and pig embryos experienced developmental delays, all due to microgravity.
With their space simulator, the researchers added human and mouse sperm to small mazes designed to mimic the female reproductive tract. In both cases, fewer sperm successfully navigated through the maze in microgravity compared with sperm that moved in Earth's gravity.
"Many of the proteins found on sperm act as mechanosensors, tiny molecular devices that detect physical forces," McPherson said. "Remove the force of gravity and it stands to reason that these sensors would be thrown off, disrupting the sperm's ability to orient and navigate."
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2026-03-30
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