It is always said that fathers are no longer useful, that children can now be conceived even without a man, but apparently this time science has made further progress.
In fact the first were born #mice from embryos formed without the need for sperm and egg to come into contact. The study, published in the journal Nature Communication, shows how the sperm did not fertilize the egg cell but 'drafts' of embryos. The great result was obtained at the British University of Bath, by the group coordinated by the molecular embryologist Tony Perry.
The authors of the research speak of male 'parthenogenesis', that is, embryos obtained without eggs. According to other experts, however, in practice "they used oocytes to produce parthenotes, i.e. egg cells induced to develop as if they had been fertilised": this is the opinion of Carlo Alberto Redi, director of the Developmental Biology Laboratory of the University of Pavia.
The spermatozoa in the Parthenotes have incredibly fertilized the cells, giving life to healthy embryos and puppies. It is definitely a great way to develop infertility treatments. New research developments are expected; meanwhile Tony Perry, one of the researchers, said: “It's the first time anyone has managed to combine a sperm with something other than an egg.”
