Females heed seminal signals

Abstract

There's more to semen than sperm. In many animals, seminal fluid alters both the bathes and sometimes even the behavior of females. Human semen, too, triggers changes in the uterus, and night have wider effects on women, aimed at just one goal. Now a team led by Tracey Chapman at the University of East Anglia in Norwich UK has found that male fruit flies selectively alter the chemical make-up of their seminal fluid. In the presence of rivals, the males produce more seminal proteins