Scientists in Texas have managed to create viable, healthy male and female mice using genetic material from two fathers. This technology will have huge impacts once it becomes more refined. We will be able to help preserve endangered animal species, improving livestock breeds, and advancing assisted reproductive technology. The procedure used fibroblasts from male mouse fetuses that were coaxed into becoming stem cells. These cells were then implanted into a surrogate mother mouse. The female offspring were then mated with male mice, and the resulting offspring had genetic contributions from two fathers. Developing these techniques further may allow for males to donate enough genetic material to produce offspring with only two fathers and no mothers, and vice versa. These kind of processes can be used to preserve species when there are no more females. I think it's pretty awesome.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101208151611.htm
This is crazy! It's kind of scary to think, however, that once this research is better understood there really wouldn't really be a need for two different genders. Although even though the mice offspring contained DNA from two males, a female was still needed to "incubate" the offspring until they were born. Also, once the offspring were out of the womb they cannot be weaned until about 3 weeks of age. So, until research on this topic continues, males and females of all species will have to reproduce the old-fashioned way.
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating that viable offspring can be produced with genes from two males. I do not understand how this would eventually help save endangered species if you still need a female mouse to incubate the embryos. Unless scientists can come up with a way to use genes from two males and allow the embryo to develop completely externally without a female at all (in vitro?), there would be no benefit from this discovery.
ReplyDeleteI do not entirely comprehend the procedure they used to perform this experiment, but have there been instances where YY offspring have been created? Would they even survive the gestational period?
I think it is interesting the different uses scientists are coming up with stem cells. Also more testing should be done to see if any long term effects begin to develop. If mating two males together produces a male, that same YY male will only be able to make other males even if mated to a female by receiving the only one X from the female.
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