Science is officially wild, folks. For ages, same-sex couples who wanted kids had to rely on donors or surrogates — meaning only one parent’s DNA got passed on. But now? Scientists are basically saying, “Hold my pipette.”
We’re talking about turning skin cells into eggs and even making sperm in a lab. Yep. Your future baby might come from your arm hair.
Skin Cells to Eggs — The OHSU Breakthrough
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) just pulled off something straight out of sci-fi: they made human eggs from skin cells.
They took a woman’s skin cell, grabbed its nucleus, and popped it into an egg cell that had its own nucleus removed — boom, a brand-new egg that can actually be fertilized.
In theory, you could do the same thing with a man’s skin cell. That means one man’s DNA could become an egg, another man provides the sperm — and suddenly, “two dads, one baby” isn’t a joke anymore.
Scientists are calling it groundbreaking. But before anyone runs to CVS for baby clothes, they’re warning it’ll take years of safety testing. (Because, you know, “we made a baby out of skin flakes” is not something you rush.)
Mouse Dads: Science’s Odd Couple
This isn’t totally new territory. A research team in China already made baby mice with two dads — no moms involved.
They edited one male mouse’s DNA to act like a “mom,” fertilized the embryo, and — ta-da! — baby mice.
Well… kind of. Only two out of 259 embryos survived. So, yeah, not the best odds. (Vegas has better rates.)
The Mom-Only Mouse Experiment
Japan wasn’t gonna be left out. Back in 2004, scientists at Tokyo University managed to create baby mice using two moms’ DNA.
They tweaked one mom’s egg so it acted like sperm, mixed it with another mom’s egg, and got a healthy baby mouse.
That mouse grew up, had babies of her own, and probably had no idea she was a science miracle.
Still, experts say this tech is light-years from being safe for humans — not to mention, a total ethical minefield.
The “Build-a-Baby” Lab Era: IVG
Welcome to the future of fertility: In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) — aka “test-tube sperm and eggs.”
You take regular body cells (like skin or blood), reprogram them into stem cells, and then nudge them to become sperm or eggs.
A Japanese research team even made baby mice this way — and some scientists predict that by 2030, lab-made human sperm could be a thing.
A Silicon Valley startup called Conception is already on it. Their goal? Let anyone — gay, straight, old, whatever — have biological kids.
Basically, “family planning” might soon come with a software update.
Bone Marrow Babies?
Once upon a time, some scientists claimed they could make sperm from bone marrow.
Theoretically, that means a woman could make sperm from her own cells and fertilize her partner’s egg.
Sounds crazy? It was — the paper got retracted for plagiarism. (So much for “revolutionary.”)
Nature’s One-Parent Option (and Why It’s a Bad Idea)
Some animals — like sharks and lizards — can reproduce without a mate. It’s called parthenogenesis or “virgin birth.”
Cool for reptiles, but not great for humans. The babies are basically clones, which means zero genetic diversity and tons of mutation risks. So yeah, hard pass.
The Ethical Rollercoaster
Luis Montoliu, a Spanish geneticist, put it best:
“These technologies could totally revolutionize fertility… but right now, it’s still in the sci-fi zone.”
Translation: great for Netflix, not for hospitals — yet.
Because as much as science can do this stuff, we still have to decide if we should.
Bottom line:
Science is closing in on the idea that two men or two women could one day share DNA in a biological child.
But until the ethics, laws, and safety catch up, it’s still a “Black Mirror” episode waiting to happen.
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