Scientists have found the gene responsible for controlling a first key step in the creation of new life. The HIRA gene is involved in the events necessary for the fertilisation that take place once a sperm enters an egg. Faults in this gene might explain why some couples struggle to get pregnant despite having healthy sperm, say the researchers from the UK and France. Although their work in Nature is based on fruit flies, the same genetic processes are present in humans. It may be worth screening infertile couples to see if they have a faulty version of HIRA, experts suggested.
