Sperm Defy Newton’s Laws of Physics: Groundbreaking Discovery by Scientists

• Scientists found sperm tails deform to propel the agent through liquid
• The elasticity of the tails should expend more energy and hinder mobility
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Scientists have made an astonishing discovery regarding the movement of sperm. They found that sperm tails defy one of the fundamental laws of physics by propelling through liquid using their unique ability to change shape and interact with the fluid.

Unlike other objects which experience an equal and opposite reaction, sperm do not elicit this response from their surroundings. This unconventional movement method challenges Newton’s law of motion, which states that there should be an equal and opposite reaction.

The elasticity of the sperm tails suggests that their movement should be hindered and require more energy. However, sperm are able to whip their tails without expending much energy into their surroundings.

The researchers conducted their study using human sperm cells and algae, as both have flagella that aid in their movement through liquid, as reported by New Scientist.

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These elastic tails should not be able to propel the swimming agents through the liquid, as they should deform against their surroundings. However, the researchers observed that both algae and sperm cells were able to move by making wave-like movements with their tails, pushing and pulling themselves through the surrounding fluid.

According to Newton’s law of motion, these movements should eventually slow down the swimmers. However, the flagella of the sperm avert an equal and opposite reaction, enabling them to conserve energy even while deforming in response to the fluid.

The researchers refer to this unique ability as ‘odd elasticity’.

‘Odd elasticity’ is not a generic term for activity in solids, but rather a well-defined physical mechanism that generates active forces in solids or in other systems where a generalized elasticity can be defined without using an elastic potential, according to a study published by Leiden University, which was not involved in the research.