Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Spermatozoa: Collection, Cryopreservation, and Heterologous In Vitro Fertilization
Published on: August 21, 2017
Pattern formation of stains from dried drops to identify spermatozoa motility
Maricarmen Ríos-Ramírez1, A D Reyes-Figueroa1, J C Ruiz-Suárez1
1CINVESTAV-Monterrey, Apodaca, NL 66600, Mexico.
Abstract:
We study how cell motility affects the stains left by the evaporation of droplets of a biofluid suspension containing mouse spermatozoa. The suspension, which contains also a high concentration of salts usually needed by motile cells, forms, upon drying, a crystallized pattern. We examine the structural characteristics of such patterns by optical microscopy. The analysis reveals that cell motility affects the formation of elongated crystals with lateral tips, as well as the creation of interlocked aggregates. We prove that a lacunarity algorithm based on polar symmetry, distinguishes among deposits generated by motile and non-motile cells with an accuracy greater than 95%.
Related Concept Videos
Dry Friction
To illustrate this concept, imagine a wooden crate resting on a rough, non-uniform horizontal surface. When an external force is applied to...
Drying Shrinkage
A portion of this drying shrinkage can be reversed; if the concrete is...
Gastric Motility
Peristaltic Waves and Chyme Formation
Upon food entry, the stomach initiates...
Fixed Action Patterns
Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble
Characteristics of Dry Friction
Before the wheelbarrow starts moving, the static frictional force acts tangentially to the contact surface, opposing the force that is about to induce the motion. This frictional force prevents the...

