Kangaroo embryo produced through IVF for the first time
Researchers Australia said that they have for the first time successfully produced the first kangaroo embryos through IVF. It may help save endangered species.
It's a major scientific leap — or at least a hop.
Researchers in Australia said Thursday that they have for the first time successfully produced the first kangaroo embryos through in-vitro fertilization, in a breakthrough that may help save endangered species from extinction.
Australia is not short of kangaroos — the bouncing creatures are commonly eaten there — but they are from the marsupial group of mammals that is mostly found in the country and has lost many species to extinction.
The researchers' use of IVF on kangaroo eggs and sperm may help support the conservation of those marsupials, said Andres Gambini, lead researcher and University of Queensland lecturer.
“Our team built on years of experience working with reproductive technologies in domestic animals like livestock and horses,” Gambini told NBC News via email. “By adapting these techniques to the unique biology of kangaroos, we were able to create an embryo in the lab for the first time.”
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