For the first time, scientists were able to capture what happens to the human egg when it gets activated by the sperm. Turns out, the human egg releases charged particles of zinc that seemed to create a magical spark right at the moment of conception.
The Incredible Moment of Conception
Indeed, conception is truly magical as proven by a team of scientists who was able to witness the incredible beginning of life. Previous studies have shown that egg cells of animals produce the same fireworks at the moment of conception but they have never witnessed this in humans until now, Newsweek reports.
Right at the moment of conception, eggs of most mammals releases a pulse of metallic ions as they undergo cellular change. A new method enabled scientists to view the magical phenomenon. They saw how the human eggs emit zinc, which is vital in the metabolism and development of egg and embryo,
"To see the zinc radiate out in a burst from each human egg was breathtaking," says Professor Teresa Woodruff from Northwestern University. More amazing was how some eggs seemed to spark brighter than the others, Telegraph UK reports. This is a clear indication of how the egg will later develop; the brighter the spark, the more likely they will develop a healthy baby.
What Could The Spark Mean?
Science Alert applauded the efforts of the Northwestern scientists, how they were able to create a new fluorescent sensor that was able to track the movements of zinc in live cells. The first phenomenon of this kind was witnessed in 2011 when the discovered the sparks of zinc exploding at the point of conception in mice.
Now, they found a way to capture this happening on a human egg and this could be helpful to couples relying on IVF treatment. They say that almost half of the fertilised eggs fail to develop properly.
"This is an important discovery because it may give us a non-invasive and easily visible way to assess the health of an egg and eventually an embryo before implantation," co-author Dr. Eve Feinberg said. "That's the reason this is so transformative. If we have the ability up front to see what is a good egg and what's not, it will help us know which embryo to transfer, avoid a lot of heartache and achieve pregnancy much more quickly."
