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Analysis and Health

Mice born with two fathers - but don't expect the same for people

For the first time that we know of, mice with two fathers have survived to adulthood, but the methods used would be "unthinkable" to try in people

By Michael Le Page

28 January 2025

A mouse with two fathers (left) and a control mouse (right) of the same age and sex

A mouse with two fathers (left) and a control mouse (right) of the same age and sex

Zhikun Li

Mice whose genetic parents are both male have survived to adulthood for the first time. However, achieving this required extensive genetic modification, among other things, that could never be attempted in people.

These aren’t the first mammals with same-sex parents – mice with two mothers were first created in 2004, and while unusually small, they appeared to live even longer than normal. But creating mice with two fathers has proved more difficult.

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