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Scientists in Australia have successfully produced the world’s first kangaroo embryo through in vitro fertilization, or IVF, a feat they hailed as a “ground-breaking achievement” that could one day help save endangered species. The research could be pivotal for Australia’s conservation efforts, given the country’s urgent need to protect its endemic species after having one of the world’s worst extinction records. Australia has lost at least 33 mammal species since European settlement of the already inhabited continent, according to Australian non-profit Invasive Species Council, a higher rate of extinction than other continent on Earth in recent history. Scientists at the University of Queensland first assessed how kangaroo eggs and sperm developed in a laboratory, before injecting a single sperm directly into a mature egg, using a technique known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, the university said Thursday. Andres Gambini, who led the research into the kangaroo embryo, said the technique could…