All posts tagged: babies

Did the iPhone stop us having babies? New research suggests so

Did the iPhone stop us having babies? New research suggests so

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Phones – and how we use them – can be blamed for a lot of things: short attention spans, bad posture, loneliness, that weird bump in our pinky fingers… But researchers have now posited that the modern smartphone can be blamed for something far scarier for our futures: the dwindling birth rate. When I first heard this, I protectively put my hand to my stomach: there’s long been a persistent theory that you can fry your eggs (and sperm) by using a mobile phone. This isn’t, thankfully, what scientists meant – it’s the solitude that scrolling gives rise to that could potentially be leading to a decline in procreation, rather than some kind of terrifying zapping. The original iPhone, the first modern smartphone, was …

Are we getting to the point where it’s safe to gene-edit babies?

Are we getting to the point where it’s safe to gene-edit babies?

Published by skeptic

Light micrograph of a human egg cell after fertilisation CC STUDIO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY When a rogue researcher in China revealed in 2018 that he had used CRISPR to create three gene-edited children, his actions were almost universally condemned by biologists around the world. The main objection was not that gene-editing babies is wrong in itself, but that the CRISPR technique used was not safe and had a very high risk of causing harmful mutations. Now, a team in the US has used an improved form of CRISPR, known as base editing, to edit healthy embryos and shown that it can be done without introducing unwanted mutations. So are we now at the point where we could consider allowing the use of the technique? The answer is no, because a major obstacle remains. Our DNA consists of two strands. The first form of CRISPR to be developed uses a protein called Cas9, which hooks up with a piece of guide RNA that helps it find a specific place in the genome. Once there, Cas9 cuts through both …

This is how we do it: ‘I was looking for a one-night stand. Now we’re married with two babies’ | Life and style

This is how we do it: ‘I was looking for a one-night stand. Now we’re married with two babies’ | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

Sofia, 32 double quotation markIt just felt easy, like I’d already known him for a long time. I told León I loved him after two weeks When I first met León through a mutual friend, I wasn’t particularly interested in him romantically. Then one night I was lying in bed, scrolling, looking for a one-night stand, and liked a story he’d posted. He responded by saying we should go for a wine sometime; I replied: “How about tonight?” Our friend warned me that he was a club owner with a reputation for sleeping around. I said: “Don’t worry, I’m not planning on marrying this guy.” Three and a half years later, we are married with two babies. Despite sex being my goal that night, León said he wanted to take things slow. The next morning, over breakfast, we had our first real conversation. I texted my friend afterwards saying: “I have a boyfriend.” It just felt easy, like I’d already known him for a long time. I told León I loved him after two weeks. Four months in, he flew to …

Fossil study finds dinosaur parents fed their young special diets

Fossil study finds dinosaur parents fed their young special diets

Published by Jenni Sidey

Maiasaura dinosaur teeth carry a quiet clue: babies were not eating what adults ate. Tiny wear marks suggest young duck-bills got softer, richer food, adding fresh weight to the idea that some dinosaurs cared for offspring in surprisingly bird-like ways. Tiny scratches on fossilized dinosaur teeth are giving scientists a rare glimpse into family life from nearly 80 million years ago. A new study suggests that baby duck-billed dinosaurs may have eaten softer, richer and more nutritious foods than the adults that cared for them. The findings come from a close examination of Maiasaura peeblesorum, a plant-eating dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. Paleontologists discovered that young Maiasaura had very different tooth wear patterns than adults. Those differences suggest the juveniles likely consumed low-fiber foods such as fruits, buds or other tender plant material, while adults mostly ate tougher vegetation. The study adds new evidence to a long-running idea that Maiasaura were unusually attentive parents. Researchers say the feeding behavior may resemble the way many modern birds feed their young today. “The urge …

Wirral mum’s loved ones say ‘let’s get her home to her babies’ after Gran Canaria coma

Wirral mum’s loved ones say ‘let’s get her home to her babies’ after Gran Canaria coma

Published by Sam Flores

The loved ones of a mum in a coma in the Canary Islands have urged her to wake up so she can get back home to her children. Emily Casey, 34 and of Rock Ferry, was taken ill just three days after she had flown out to Gran Canaria with her husband Jamie Casey and their five children. Emily, who had recently recovered from pneumonia, had struggled to breathe and was rushed to hospital where an emergency CT scan was done. They were told the pneumonia had returned and one of her lungs was “full of fluid”, which would need to be drained. Jamie returned to the family’s hotel with the children, but when he returned to hospital the following day he devastatingly found his wife was in an induced coma on a life support machine. After taking the children back to England he returned to the Spanish island but was told on Saturday how his wife’s progress had “gone backwards”. Scans revealed pneumonia has “taken over her lungs again” and sepsis is now in …

What is SMA? Key signs to look out for in babies as Jesy Nelson highlights life-changing condition

What is SMA? Key signs to look out for in babies as Jesy Nelson highlights life-changing condition

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Hundreds of children living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are set to benefit from two life-changing treatments, which have now received official approval for routine use across the NHS. Nusinersen, an injectable drug and the first disease-modifying therapy for SMA, alongside the oral treatment risdiplam, were previously only available through a special access scheme. This allowed for further evidence on their effectiveness to be gathered. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has now formally endorsed both therapies for widespread implementation in England. Without medical intervention, the most severe form of SMA (Type 1) can progress rapidly, with Muscular Dystrophy UK estimating a life expectancy of less than two years. Yet, NHS England has confirmed these therapies have already enabled 73 children with the condition to survive to age five or older. Public awareness of SMA increased significantly …

“Much smaller shots”: Trump thinks vaccines are too “big” for babies

“Much smaller shots”: Trump thinks vaccines are too “big” for babies

Published by Sam Flores

Donald Trump defended childhood vaccinations during a stop by “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson” on Sunday, saying only that he wished vaccines for infants and toddlers were smaller. Operating on the same principle as a Cuties ad campaign, the president argued that babies are small and their shots should be, too. “I look at these beautiful little babies and they get a vat, I mean, like a big glass  of stuff pumped into their bodies. And I think it’s a very negative thing to do,” he said. “I would love to see much smaller shots, like four visits to the doctor. And I think you would have a much better result with the autism.” Trump did say that he “believe[s] in vaccines” but worried that young children are receiving too many. “The polio vaccine’s amazing. It’s, you know, wiped it out,” he said. Vaccines are not administered all at once or in large quantities to infants. There is no known link between childhood vaccines and autism. It was one of several exaggerations throughout the wide-ranging …

Leopard moms hide babies in sugarcane fields to go hunting

Leopard moms hide babies in sugarcane fields to go hunting

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Leopards (Panthera pardus) in India are doing pretty well, all things considered. According to a report published in 2024, experts estimate their population in the country at a range of 12,616 to 15,132 individuals, which wildlife biologist Thomas Sharp calls “a healthy number.” Part of their success could be due to the fact that leopards are enduring in areas close to human settlements where their bigger feline relatives, like tigers or lions, simply can’t—partly thanks to their secretive nature and the fact that they subsist on smaller prey. “This is a good thing in many ways, with the way the world’s been changing and habitat degradation and everything else,” Sharp, who is the director of conservation and research at the organization Wildlife SOS tells Popular Science. “It’s a good thing that they can hang on in some of these areas. But there’s always a tradeoff, and the negative is they get involved in a lot of human-leopard conflict.” Unsurprisingly, …

On Mother’s Day, being pro-life means helping babies in developing countries live

On Mother’s Day, being pro-life means helping babies in developing countries live

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — As a mom-to-be, this Mother’s Day feels different. Feeling my son’s little kicks, I already sense the deep, instinctual love for this life growing inside of me and the desire for him to flourish. I have always been a strongly pro-life evangelical Christian, but experiencing this bond between a mother and her unborn child has clarified what it truly means to value life. At our 20-week anatomy scan, my husband and I learned that our son would be born with complications that would require medical care. The weeks that followed were full of tears, doctor’s visits and consultations, but also deep gratitude for the treatment options that would allow our son to live a full life. What steadied us was access — specialists, options, follow-up care. That’s exactly what millions of moms don’t have. Through my work in global health, I know that many mothers across the world lack access to treatment for conditions that doctors know how to address. As I considered the little life in my womb, this stark reality clarified …