The 12 th International Symposium of Spermatology continued the excellent tradition of this meeting since its inception in 1969 when the first Symposium was held in Italy under the Chairmanship of Professor Baccio Baccetti. This unique Symposium is held every 4 years and serves as a beacon for sperm cell biologists from all over the world, regardless of which species, animal or plant, they are working on. This willingness to embrace the fundamental biology of this distinctive cell type without species limitations is one of the hallmarks of this Symposium. For sperm biologists - it is our Olympics. The meeting in Newcastle, NSW brought together around 300 biologists from more than 22 different countries covering North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. Given the considerable distances and high cost involved in travelling to the East Coast of NSW, this was an outstanding outcome. The Symposium featured a series of 31 plenary lectures culminating in the prestigious Thaddeus Mann Memorial Lecture, which was delivered with typical grace and brilliance by Professor Masaru Okabe.

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