# Killer Sperm?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-sperm/132>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 6, 1999, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-sperm/132 "1999-07-06T21:05:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 1999, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-sperm/132/1 "1999-07-06T21:05:00Z")

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# == I read an article in Details Magazine within the last year talking about how human sperm all, similar to an ant colony, all have special duties. One of these is to stick around and fight sperm from other people, another way of having the fittest survive.

I checked Details online, and no sign of this story. Anyone care to narrow it down a bit more?

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 1999, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-sperm/132/2 "1999-07-06T21:33:00Z")

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And you can watch this on TV, too, it’s called World Wide Wrestling, where two sperm duke it out.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 1999, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-sperm/132/3 "1999-07-08T16:33:00Z")

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I actually commented about that in a post to this very board a few hours before you asked the question. My post [is right here](https://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000147.html) if you care!

* * *

Brian O’Neill  
CMC International Records  
[www.cmcinternational.com](http://www.cmcinternational.com)

ICQ 35294890  
AIM Scrabble1  
Yahoo Messenger Brian\_ONeil

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 1999, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-sperm/132/4 "1999-07-08T18:13:00Z")

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I actually just added this to the “Falling Asleep” page but it really belongs here…

Regarding KILLER SPERM

There is an entire book on this subject entitled “Sperm Wars”. I can’t remember who the author is but it came out about 3 years ago I think. It’s ALL about different sperm having different functions. Some are just to get in the way of possible invading sperm, some just to get to the egg, etc. It’s actually kind of an interesting book. It goes into all sorts of details dealing with sex such as why a woman is more likely to become pregnant from an affair than with her partner and how masturbating before sex will create a “fresh batch” of sperm that may fare better in “the big race”. It’s all very speculative, but interesting none-the-less.  
ciao-lou