THE CONVENTIONAL way of making babies is no secret: a father produces a sperm which, when it comes into contact with a mother’s egg, gives rise to an embryo containing genetic material from both parents. The process is popular but not universally accessible; same-sex couples cannot produce biological children together. Scientists have therefore long sought more ambitious recipes, especially ones that remove the need for either parent. They have enjoyed some success: mice with two mothers and no fathers were reported in 2004. But creating animals with two fathers and no mother has proved much harder.
THE CONVENTIONAL way of making babies is no secret: a father produces a sperm which, when it comes into contact with a mother’s egg, gives rise to an embryo containing genetic material from both parents. The process is popular but not universally accessible; same-sex couples cannot produce biological children together. Scientists have therefore long sought more ambitious recipes, especially ones that remove the need for either parent. They have enjoyed some success: mice with two mothers and no fathers were reported in 2004. But creating animals with two fathers and no mother has proved much harder.
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