First litter of "test tube dogs"

Seven healthy puppies (five pure beagles and two beagle-cocker spaniel crosses) that were conceived using in-vitro fertilization (IVF) were born by a surrogate female in summer 2015. The findings of the study, led by Cornell University in collaboration with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (both USA), were published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE on 9 December 2015.

Frozen embryos were implanted in a female dog using techniques similar to those used in human fertility clinics. The first "test tube human baby" – Louise Brown (UK) – was born in 1978, but replicating the technique with dogs has proven more complicated owing to a more complex reproductive cycle.

The hope is that these successful techniques will be able to help preserve endangered canine species such as the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). It could also aid our understanding of human genetics, as dogs and humans share many similar hereditary traits and diseases.