Most conventional spermatology research involves common mammalian species including livestock, laboratory animals and humans. Yet, there are more than 4500 mammalian species inhabiting the planet for which little is known about basic reproductive biology, including sperm characteristics and function. This information is important, not just as adjunct knowledge, but because the majority of these...

Results are presented from participation in an external quality control (EQC) programme for semen analysis (UK NEQAS). Formalin-fixed semen samples and videotapes of motile spermatozoa were distributed four times a year over a 3-4 year period. Over the entire period there was close agreement for sperm concentration with, initially, the average of values from the other groups participating in th...

spermatozoa. Because spermatozoa are largely incapable of de novo gene transcription and contemporaneous protein translation, their biology is highly dependent on changes in their proteomic landscape mediated by myriad posttranslational modifications, including the acquisition or loss of entire proteins. Proteomic changes in the epididymis, for example, are central to our understanding of how s...

Cause ya see, these fellas are built for function And sacrifice is their middle name. But they'll do all they can just to survive Just like a guy for some dame. They don't have legs for travelin' But you'll n' er hear them complain, For during their hike to the Promised Land You ever see a sperm go lame? But these cute little guys are a little mixed up And they really take this to heart, For so...