DNA Breakthrough: Scientists Create First Mouse Born from Two Male Parents

Science has once again pushed the boundaries of nature. Scientists from Xi’an Jiaotong University in China have successfully created a mouse born solely from the DNA of two male mice. That means no mother, no egg — the birth was made possible using just two sperm cells. Not only was this experiment successful, but astonishingly, the resulting mouse was healthy and even fertile, meaning it could reproduce. This groundbreaking study was published on June 23, 2025, in the prestigious scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The success marks the beginning of a new revolution in genetics and reproductive biology.

How Was This Miracle Achieved?

In this experiment, scientists adopted a novel approach by editing the epigenetic programming, specifically the methylation patterns — a process that controls DNA activity without altering the actual DNA sequence.

Two sperm cells were used from different male mice — one from a lab-bred mouse and the other from a wild mouse species found in Thailand. First, the genome was removed from an egg. Then, the heads of the two sperm cells were injected into it. The methylation pattern of one sperm was modified to resemble that of female DNA.

This created an embryo with both DNA sources coming from males. The embryo was then implanted into a surrogate female mouse, resulting in the birth of three live pups. One of them, which was abnormally large, died the day after birth. However, the other two were healthy, and one was even fertile.

A Breakthrough After 20 Years of Research

This isn't the first time scientists have attempted to produce offspring from a single gender. In 2004, Japan succeeded in creating a mouse named "Kaguya" from two female mice. However, attempts to produce offspring from two males had previously failed. In a 2018 experiment, a mouse embryo created from two male genomes died just one day after birth.

This time, Chinese scientists used epigenetic reprogramming through methylation instead of gene deletion. As a result, the embryo was healthier and had a higher chance of survival.

What Does This Discovery Mean for Science?

Dr. Helen O’Neill, Associate Professor at University College London, said, “This proves that the main barrier to same-sex reproduction in mammals is genomic imprinting — and now it may be possible to overcome it.”

This experiment demonstrates that the gene imprinting patterns once considered essential for natural development can be altered in the lab. Genomic imprinting involves specific chemical modifications by both male and female parents to their DNA, which are crucial for embryo development. Scientists have now managed to reprogram these modifications successfully in a laboratory setting.

Could This Be Possible in Humans?

Probably not. Scientists have made it clear that this technique is not applicable to humans. The reasons include:

• Extremely low success rates

• The need for thousands of eggs

• The requirement of a large number of surrogate mothers

According to Christophe Galichet of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, “Applying this technology to humans would be not only impractical but also ethically highly sensitive.”

While this achievement may not have direct human applications, it opens up new possibilities in fields like reproductive biology, genetic infertility, and cloning. Furthermore, this research could one day guide advances in space travel, animal husbandry, and even the revival of extinct species.