How babies are REALLY made: Researchers find sperm use a tiny 'harpoon' to attach themselves to eggs

. Protein within the head of the sperm forms spiky filaments
. Team calculate the shape of the protein with 'sonar-like' process
Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery that explains how eggs are fertilised.
A 14 year study concluded that sperm harpoon the egg to facilitate fertilization.
Researchers found a protein within the head of the sperm forms spiky filaments, suggesting that these tiny filaments may lash together the sperm and its target.
-  'This finding has really captured our imagination,' said University of Virginia School of Medicine's researcher John Herr.
It represents a significant step forward in what happens during fertilization.
'One of the major proteins that is abundant in the acrosome [in the arterior region of the sperm head] is crystallizing into filaments,' said Herr.
'We now postulate they're involved in penetrating the egg - that's the new hypothesis emerging from the finding, which leads to a whole new set of questions and new hypotheses about the very fine structure of molecular events during fertilization.' Source