‘Fatherless’ mouse born

A MOUSE that is the “daughter” of two mothers has been created by scientists in a breakthrough that could be as controversial as cloning, it emerged yesterday.

The mouse, named Kaguya after a Japanese fairytale character, is the first mammal to be born without an egg being fertilised.

Such “virgin birth” is known as parthenogenesis. It occurs naturally in a wide range of animals, including insects, reptiles and birds.

But it has never been seen in mammals, until now.

Yesterday, a team of Japanese and Korean scientists proved the doubters wrong by creating Kaguya from the genes of two female mice.

The achievement, reported in the journal Nature, has far-reaching implications and opens a new door of reproductive research.

However, scientists say it would be far too dangerous and unethical to use the technique on humans.