Could two men have children one day? Chinese scientists have bred mice without mothers. Some think this has huge implications for our emotional, social and psychological lives.
Lab creates mouse with two fathers
Could two men have children one day? Chinese scientists have bred mice without mothers. Some think this has huge implications for our emotional, social and psychological lives.
It looks like any other mouse. It's small, squeaky and covered in fur and spends its time sniffling around a cage. But this mouse is special. It is one of the first animals ever to be born without a mother.
Scientists in China have managed to create a bi-paternalHaving two genetic fathers. mouse. Researchers combined genetic material from two male mice to create an embryoA fertilised egg that is developing into a foetus. that inherited no female DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is the material in an organism that carries genetic information..
Nearly all animals have male and female members. Reproduction occurs after a female egg is fertilised by the male.
But now scientists are finding ways to create animals with two same gender parents. We have pushed beyond the laws of nature.
There have already been bi-maternalHaving two genetic mothers. mice. But this is a much easier process than with two fathers. There are even some animals, including Komodo dragons and wasps, who can reproduce without male input.1
Many previous attempts have failed. Most embryos have not made it to birth. Those that do have died quickly due to health problems. Only a very small number make it to adulthood. And those that do are themselves unable to reproduce.
Yet it still represents a breakthrough moment. We have managed with mice. Will we soon be able to create new humans with two biological mothers or fathers, rather than one of each?
This would have enormous implications for life on Earth. Human society is organised around the idea of reproduction between men and women. It underpins everything from marriage to inheritance. Breaking this chain could change everything.
How would history differ if Henry VIIIThe King of England from 1509 to 1547, best known for his six wives. was able to produce an heir without the need for a queen? A huge proportion of the stories we tell, from Oedipus Rex to Dune, hinge on blood relationships.
Same-sex couples currently have to rely on a third party to have a child. This would change that. It could loosen the roles that mothers and fathers play in the lives of their offspring. The traditional family unit might even give way to something more fluid.
The fact that same-sex couples are unable to have biological children causes prejudice. Some anti-gay people, writes Dr. Guy Ringler in Time, think "any relationship that can't result in a child should somehow be forbidden".
In a world where a child could have two fathers, this would become ludicrous. Gender might become irrelevant. We might even forget that all children once had biological parents of different genders.
The new breakthrough might also take us down some sinister pathways. Children could be lab-grown to order. Some even fear that men could choose to reproduce only with other men, gradually making women extinct.
This might seem a long way off. But there are other advances that suggest bi-paternal and bi-maternal children might be just around the corner. In 2018, scientists in Japan announced they had created human eggs from blood cells.
Yet others advise patience. Science writer Helen Pitcher says: "For the foreseeable future at least, the stakes are too high, and the process too unpredictable, to consider using on humans."
Could two men have children one day?
Yes: Certainly not tomorrow, and probably not the day after. But the rapid advances in the past few years suggest that the bi-paternal man will be here sooner than we think, for better or worse.
No: It is one thing to create a mouse with two fathers. But the ethical headache of creating a new type of human with a low chance of survival and the inability to reproduce is too much to stomach.
Or... They can already. We need to move beyond the idea that biology determines real parenthood. If two men have a baby via a third party, that still makes both of them parents.
Bi-paternal - Having two genetic fathers.
Embryo - A fertilised egg that is developing into a foetus.
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid is the material in an organism that carries genetic information.
Bi-maternal - Having two genetic mothers.
Henry VIII - The King of England from 1509 to 1547, best known for his six wives.
Lab creates mouse with two fathers

Glossary
Bi-paternal - Having two genetic fathers.
Embryo - A fertilised egg that is developing into a foetus.
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid is the material in an organism that carries genetic information.
Bi-maternal - Having two genetic mothers.
Henry VIII - The King of England from 1509 to 1547, best known for his six wives.