Access

Published online 18 June 2008 | Nature 453, 965 (2008) | doi:10.1038/453965a

News in Brief: Snapshot

Out of the ovary

Comments

Reader comments are usually moderated after posting. If you find something offensive or inappropriate, you can speed this process by clicking 'Report this comment' (or, if that doesn't work for you, email webadmin@nature.com). For more controversial topics, we reserve the right to moderate before comments are published.

  • This yellow "object" is of course not a human egg. This is a drop of follicular fluid (apparently containing an egg) being expelled from the follicle. Still a great photo. Henry Malter

    • 18 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: Henry Malter

  • "of course not a human egg" ? How do you say that? The surgeon says its an egg, New Scientist says its an egg - how come you know better?

    • 19 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: Richard Dawson

  • Dawson, Malter is correct. The human "egg", or more correctly the oocyte itself measures at most 125 microns. If you can see that by the naked eye, I would be amazed. For more info, here is a good reference: Fertil Steril. 1995 Feb;63(2):404-6.: The relationship between size and maturation in vitro in the unstimulated human oocyte. Durinzi KL, Saniga EM, Lanzendorf SE.

    • 24 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: Cecily Bishop