Question:

Can same-sex mice reproduce?  

Overview:

A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences concluded last week that, with cutting-edge science, same-sex mice can reproduce; however, only the female mothers’ babies lived.

How:

Because DNA was lacking from the missing sex, researchers had to use gene editing to delete three sets of genetic instructions from the females’ and seven sets for the males’. For the female mice, an egg was taken from one and a haploid embryonic stem cell was taken from the other. For the male mice, a sperm, male haploid embryonic stem cell, and a gene edited egg were used. Dr. Wei Li stated that “This research shows us what’s possible. We saw that the defects in bi-maternal mice can be eliminated and that bi-paternal reproduction barriers in mammals can also be crossed.”

Why it Matters:

This is crucial for research, as it answers the fundamental questions about reproduction. Although same-sex mating is only possible in mice, the future is bright for humans.