Simon Bourtembourg, edited by Yanis Darras 08h37, March 16, 2023, modified at 08:44, March 16, 2023

In Japan, biologists have managed to allow two male mice to have a litter together. To achieve this, they created eggs from skin cells taken from a male mouse. But the experiment remains ineffective for the moment.

This is a world first in history. In Japan, two mice managed to procreate seven mice. A very common event, but with the difference that they are two male mice. To achieve this, biologists created eggs from skin cells taken from a male mouse, a first for mammals.

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The seven pups are indeed from two dads, but neither of them carried the babies since once fertilized, the 100% male eggs were implanted in the uterus of a female carrier mouse.

A model adaptable to humans?

The success rate of the operation remains very low, however, with only seven births out of 630 trials. It remains to be seen whether the experiment could be applied to humans. Theoretically, yes, biologists say. A couple of men could then have a child, one providing the egg, the other the sperm. But the success rate would still be lower than that of mice because of a tenfold gestation period in humans.