When a sperm fertilizes an egg, a visible “spark of light” or “zinc spark” occurs. This flash is caused by the release of zinc ions from the egg as the sperm activates it.
The intensity of the spark can indicate the health and viability of the developing embryo.
That’s what science sees.
Might we also see it as the Spirit entering?
Brighter flashes, say medical researchers, suggest a healthier embryo.
Now, the flash is not something that could be seen with the naked eye. It isn’t naturally emitted by the zinc but rather observed in scientific experiments when the eggs are exposed to chemicals that react with zinc.
Scientists use techniques like fluorescent microscopy to visualize the sparks.
But amazing? And telling?
That it is.
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[Note from the National Catholic Register: The actual paper is titled “The zinc spark is an inorganic signature of human egg activation” (Duncan, F. E. et al. Sci. Rep. 6, 24737), published by Professors Teresa K. Woodruff’s and Thomas V. O’Halloran’s research groups at Northwestern University in Chicago. The “flash of light” only refers to the “inorganic signature” of the “zinc spark” detected with fluorescence microscopy in the laboratory—an analytical technique. Calcium levels rise in the egg when a sperm enters it. These high calcium levels cause zinc to be released outside the egg. Researchers wanted to see the zinc, so they simulated fertilization in the lab and put the eggs in a solution containing a fluorescent tag (FluoZin™-3). When the zinc is released, it is chemically labeled because this tag bonds to it. The tag (also called a fluorophore) can be illuminated with light of one color, and it emits light of a different, specific color. That “fluorescence” can be detected under a suitable microscope, thus revealing the zinc.]+