Tiny device brings out the best in sperm

Sperm cells prepare a lifetime for just one goal: the race to an unfertilized egg. Now there’s a microscale apparatus that pits the little wigglers against each other in a preliminary heat. By separating top swimmers from the rest, the itsy-bitsy racecourse may ultimately improve the odds for infertile couples.

SWIM MEET. The merger of two fluid channels (green lines) efficiently harvests hearty sperm cells from a population of cells riddled with stragglers.