Switched before birth

Before birth--after death.

F our recent events have reminded us that many people are concerned about what happens before birth and after death, even if what happens before birth happens to those who will never be born and even if the near death happenings occur after death and to those who cannot care about them. The recent events involve a decision of the European Court of Human Rights, a decision of the UK Human Fertil...

Senescence— Before Birth

Cellular senescence— defined as a process of stable cell-cycle arrest—was first identified as a biological state that marked the end of a cell’s replicative life (Hayflick, 1965). In the investigations that followed, senescence was established as a component of disease states {e.g. DNA damage} (Kuilman et al., 2010), and was correlated with aging-associated disorders (Keyes et al., 2005; Baker ...

Connecting with Baby Before Birth

Pregnancy can be daunting. Prenatal gadgets tempt expecting mothers at every turn, as the market is saturated with ever-changing options for mommy, daddy and baby. But underneath it all, we are simply driven by a common desire to fulfill the ideals of motherhood and to connect with our babies. Stroller technology alone is enough to baffle the mind. Maybe next year we’ll see an organic, Tempur-P...

Tooth size and position before birth.

Before Birth. Prenatal Testing for Genetic Disease

"science of woman," the doctrine of the nature and diseases of woman as distinct from man, became embodied in gynecology. Moreover, this new specialty of physicians constructed a theory of femininity which prescribed social roles without raising opposition, because they had the validation of science. Women became identified as a special group of patients, based upon their reproductive capacitie...