23 Species Have Gone Extinct in Australia in 70 Years. Here’s How Researchers are Trying to Reverse the Trend.

When humans struggle with infertility, they often turn to in vitro fertilization, or IVF, to help grow their family. This intricate — and expensive — process involves retrieving an egg from a female, fertilizing it with a male’s sperm in a laboratory setting, and then implanting the fertilized embryo into the female to carry to term. This works anywhere from 20%-35% of the time.

Well, it seems there’s an all-new opportunity to employ IVF, and this time, it’s a matter of life or extinction. Australian researchers announced this week that they have successfully impregnated a female kangaroo with an embryo created through IVF.

Australia is extremely biodiverse, but it has the highest number of species extinction of any country. According to Australia’s Invasive Species Council, 23 species have gone extinct there since the 1960s. The IVF approach is one way to combat the issue. “Kangaroos have a very short pregnancy, and the embryo can go into suspended animation for several months,” explained Andres Gambini, lead researcher and University of Queensland lecturer, in a statement to NBC News. “Our success with IVF helps us better understand these early stages of development.”

Gaining a better understanding of marsupial development is one key in determining how best to protect and preserve both that species and many others. Read the complete study and findings here.