Using stem cell technology, Scientists have created mice from two fathers, an advance that they say could help preserve endangered species and even help same-sex couples have their own genetic children one day.

Based on the study published Wednesday in the journal Biology of Reproduction, reproductive scientists in Texas were able to manipulate cells from a male (XY) mouse fetus to produce an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line.

These iPS cells are adult cells that have undergone some genetic reprogramming in order to enter an embryonic stem cell-like state. Some of the cells that were grown from this new line spontaneously lost their Y chromosome, turning them into XO cells. Those XO cells were injected into embryos from donor female mice and transplanted into surrogate mouse moms who gave birth to babies with one X chromosome from the original male mouse.

Those babies grew and later mated with normal male mice. Both male and female offspring’s showed genetic contributions from two fathers.

Even though the genetic material came from both fathers, a surrogate female mouse was needed to carry the mice.

The study however cautioned that the ability to replicate the findings in humans was a long way off.

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