Australian scientists produced the first kangaroo embryo through in vitro fertilization, a hope for the conservation of other marsupials threatened.
Australian scientists announced this week that they produced the world’s first kangaroo embryo through in vitro fertilization (IVF), a historical experience that could help save other threatened marsupial species.
“This success with kangaroo embryos is deeply rewarding, representing the culmination of years of formation, research and collaboration,” Scientists said .
The team of He said he tested in vitro fertilization in Gray Eastern kangaroos, with the aim of later expanding it to other species.
“Australia houses the highest marsupial fauna diversity on the planet, but it is also the country with the highest mammalian extinction rate,” said the investigator Andres Gambini.
“When developing preservation methods, we intend to safeguard the genetic material of these unique and precious animals for future use, in order to ensure their conservation (…) We hope that the birth of a marsupial through in vitro fertilization can become a reality within a decade. “
Endangered animals
O total number of kangarois varies between 30 and 60 million In Australia, and are often slaughtered to keep populations under control.
But other marsupial species are much more fragile. For example, it is estimated that only 20,000 to 50,000 devils They still live in nature, while there were about 150,000 before a mysterious facial tumor reaching them in the mid -1990s.
Australia has lost at least 33 species of mammals since the European colonization of the continent, according to thea higher extinction rate than in recent history of other continents.
More than 2,200 species and ecosystems in Australia are classified as endangered, according to a non -profit 2023 report of 2023
