Mice Born from Two Dads! 🐭

Dear reader,

What the… - that’s my reaction when I read this news. Is this a historical moment when two male mice “gave birth” to a mouse? Did it actually happen? Or was it a one-time artifact that is hardly reproducible?

Let’s get into it →

Fertile "Two-Father" Mice Created for First Time

Scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University have successfully produced fertile male mice using only the genetic material from two fathers. By injecting DNA from two sperm cells into an egg without a nucleus and using CRISPR-based epigenetic editing to tweak seven key imprinting regions, researchers overcame genomic imprinting issues. Out of 259 implanted embryos, two male mice survived to adulthood, and both later reproduced naturally with females—marking the first instance of bi-paternal fertility in mammals

My take: This groundbreaking experiment pushes boundaries in reproductive science and opens new doors—but raises huge ethical questions. It's fascinating yet needs cautious handling.

Takeaways

Why It Matters

Breakthrough in Reproductive Biology : Demonstrates epigenetic reprogramming as a powerful tool to bypass traditional maternal genetic barriers.

Scientific Insight: Highlights imprinting as the central challenge to same-sex reproduction and showcases ways to overcome it.

Clinical & Ethical Implications: While human application remains distant, this lays foundational knowledge for novel fertility technologies—both promising and ethically complex.

Limitations to Note

Extremely low success rate: Only 2 of 259 embryos survived.

Complex technical process: Requires precise CRISPR editing and many surrogate mothers.

Health challenges: Mice had two Y chromosomes, raising developmental concerns.

No immediate human applications, and numerous ethical, biological, and safety hurdles exist.

Read more: Source: “Scientists create fertile mice with two fathers for first time” (Times / PNAS)