The study found that female pigs may be able to tell whether a sperm will produce a boy or girl even before it reaches the egg.
The research suggests the sow may favor one sex over the other and give it a better chance of reaching the egg first. The study published in the journal BMC Genomics, shows that the environment within the womb changes in the events that lead up to fertilisation.
The researchers inseminated female pigs with sperm that was either all X or all Y to look at the genes which were switched on in the sow's oviduct. It was revealed 501 genes produced proteins in different amounts, depending on whether whether X or Y sperm was present.
The study found out that different genes become active in active in female pigs' reproductive system cells depending on whether female (X) or male (Y) sperm are present. The changes in the sow?s fallopian tubes allow her to influence the sex of her offspring.
Though researchers are not sure why and how pigs have been able to evolve this ability but pigs are able to create an environment that favors boys or girls. The discovery has led experts to explore the human application of the phenomenon.
via Science - Google News http://ift.tt/1nttGjd
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