Humans Could Soon Have Two Biological Fathers? Scientists Make Groundbreaking Discovery

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a groundbreaking study published on January 28, 2025 Chinese researchers have successfully produced mice with two biological fathers using advanced genetic engineering techniques. The findings, detailed in the journal Cell Stem Cell, involved manipulating embryonic stem cells and modifying specific imprinted genes essential for mammalian development. This breakthrough resulted in the birth of mice from two male parents, marking a major milestone in reproductive biology.

The scientists accomplished this by altering 20 imprinting genes and utilizing cloning technology, which led to the birth of both male and female pups. However, many of these offspring did not survive to adulthood or were sterile, highlighting challenges that need to be addressed in future research. While this development provides new insights into unisexual reproduction and genomic imprinting in mammals, experts emphasize that applying such techniques to humans remains highly impractical due to significant technical and ethical hurdles.

The research is currently focused on fundamental biological studies with no plans to explore human applications. This study builds upon previous work in the field, including efforts by Japanese scientists who used alternative methods to create bipaternal mice. The ongoing advancements in genetic engineering continue to expand the frontiers of reproductive science, offering potential insights that could lead to future medical applications.