HOLY IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, BATMAN!

Because of genetic imprinting, previous attempts to induce mammals to reproduce via parthenogenesis have failed. Offspring obtain two copies of a gene, one from each parent, in normal sexual reproduction.

However, genomic imprinting entails chemically tagging particular genes to signify which parent they came from, resulting in just one copy of the gene being produced.

According to New Scientist, the research team utilized the gene-editing technique CRISPR to modify the tags on seven of these imprinted gene areas, making it appear as if the mother’s genetic code came from a male. According to the statement, they next inserted an enzyme into the egg that switched some genes on and others off to mimic an egg fertilized by a male.

“It’s going to turn out to be an important piece of the jigsaw about the mechanism of very early embryo development and the way that the two parental genomes are regulated,” explained biochemist Tony

Perry of the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. Perry, who was not involved in the study, tells New Scientist, “And secondly, it’s an important technical demonstration of the kind of potency of these [CRISPR tools].”