World's First Litter Of Puppies Born Through In Vitro Fertilisation

This is probably the most adorable scientific breakthrough of all time.

Mike Carroll / Via College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University

A team of scientists and researchers from Cornell University and the Smithsonian Institution watched as a litter of puppies produced in a test-tube was born to a surrogate mother for the first time, in what they described as "a huge breakthrough."

The seven adorable puppies born on July 10 through in vitro fertilization could be the key to saving endangered animals, researchers said.

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While in vitro fertilization — the process used to fertilize an egg with a sperm outside of the body — has been used for human reproduction since 1978, it has not proven successful for dogs until now.

Researchers said it has been difficult to successfully reproduce dogs through IVF because of their short cycles and other reproductive quirks.

To produce the seven puppies born in July, 19 embryos were implanted in a surrogate dog using sperm from five different males, according to the study published Wednesday in PLOS one. Two of the successful offspring came from a beagle mother and a cocker spaniel father, while the other five came from two different sets of beagle fathers and mothers.

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