How a sperm and an egg fuse together has long been a mystery. New research by scientists in Austria provides tantalizing clues, showing fertilization works like a lock and key across the animal kingdom,

AlphaFold predicted that three sperm proteins work together to form a complex. Two of these proteins were previously known to be important for fertility. Pauli and her colleagues then confirmed that the third is also critical for fertility in both zebrafish and mice, and that the three proteins interact with one another.

Scientists have pinpointed how sperm and egg join to spark new life across the animal kingdom, from fish to people

In a new study, researchers have identified a trio of proteins that serve as the critical key in allowing sperm to fuse with an egg, a process that marks the first step in creating new life. The researchers employed the artificial intelligence tool AlphaFold to uncover how sperm proteins interact at the molecular level,