curiosities about the semen that maybe you did not know (including that it was thought that it transported tiny adults)
Nuts can help to have healthy semen, according to a study from the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragano, Spain
Although it is hard to believe, there is still much to discover about semen and sperm.
But it is also true that much has been advanced since the beginning of his study, a few centuries ago, when the mere idea of being interested in the subject was considered indecent
But you, how much do you know about this viscous liquid fundamental to our reproduction ?
In BBC Mundo, we tell you five aspects that you may find curious about sperm and the substance that contains them: semen.
1. It was thought to be carrying miniature adults
In his fascinating report " The Long, Winding Tale of Sperm Science ... and why it's finally headed in the right direction " ("The long and sinuous history of the science of semen and why it finally turned in the right direction"), Laura Poppick enters the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to learn the first theories about semen.
In the article, published on the website of the Smithsonian Institute of the United States, Poppick says that it was thanks to the then revolutionary microscope that biologists could see the semen "in all its glory" .
These first semen scientists found themselves with the task of answering the most basic questions, for example: Are sperm animals alive? Are they parasites? And does each sperm contain a small preformed adult human huddled inside? ", Says the writer.
According to Poppick's research, the first scientist who concentrated on studying semen was the Dutch Anton van Leeuwenhoek , who went down in history as the father of microbiology for his pioneering work in that field.
Van Leeuwenhoek developed the first composite microscope and used it to analyze lice and water samples from lakes in the mid-1670s. However, his friends urged him to focus his instrument on something else.
"But worried because writing about semen and intercourse could be indecent, it did not progress. Finally, in 1677, it gave way. When examining his own ejaculation, he was immediately struck by the small 'animalcules' that he found writhing inside, "says the author.
He did not want to share what he discovered with his colleagues. But he decided to inform the Royal Society of London (the most important scientific institution in England) about his findings.
"If the honorable Member believes that these observations may annoy or scandalize the scholars , I strongly urge the honorable Member to consider them private and to publish them or destroy them as the honorable Member deems appropriate," the scientist wrote.
The president of that body published them and in this way a new field of study of biology was born.
Before that, there were many theories about reproduction.
As noted by biologist Bob Montgomerie of Queen's University in Canada-who is quoted by Poppick-it was thought that "the steam emitted by the male ejaculate somehow stimulated women to make babies, while others believed that the men actually manufactured the babies and transferred them to the females for incubation. "
After the findings of van Leeuwenhoek, "it took approximately 200 years before scientists agreed on how humans were formed."
Some believed that each sperm had a tiny human being completely preformed.
2. Underwear affects its quality
If you want to improve the quality of your sperm, think about using more boxers.
And a study by the School of Public Health at Harvard University published on August 8 seems to confirm that the use of baggy briefs could be a simple way for men to improve their sperm count and the hormones that control them.
