Pesticide Exposure in Womb May Lower IQ

New testing technology is highly accurate, study finds

(NEWSER) - Blood tests that promise to determine a baby's sex just seven weeks into pregnancy are highly accurate if used properly, a new study finds. Researchers found that the tests, which analyze fetal DNA in the mother's blood, are 95% accurate at seven weeks and 99% accurate at 20 weeks, the New York Times reports. Tests that analyzed urine instead of DNA, however, were accurate just 41% of the time—a prediction rate "worse than flipping a coin," a researcher tells LiveScience. More»

Fetuses rejoice when mom watches happy movie, go quiet for sad ones

(NEWSER) - Unborn children are so in tune with their mothers that they get bad vibes when mom watches a sad movie, and are perked up by an uplifting flick. That’s the conclusion of Japanese researchers, who plopped one group of expectant mothers in front of The Sound of Music, and another in front of a tearjerker. In order to keep the fetuses from cheating, the mothers wore headphones so no audible sound could reach them. More»

Jessie Canfield went back to party after birth: cops

(NEWSER) - A 24-year-old California woman has been arrested for allegedly dumping her newborn baby in the trash after giving birth at a party. Police found the infant dead in an overstuffed curbside garbage bin, just blocks from a fire station where unwanted babies can be surrendered. The woman, Jessie Canfield, was reportedly attending a surprise birthday party when she ducked into a bedroom for a couple of hours. Party-goers say she did not mention giving birth to a 6-pound baby girl, but did look "distraught." More»

(NEWSER) - Amniocentesis may become a thing of the past, as new procedures are developed that can non-invasively but definitively test for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities, writes Amanda Schaffer for DoubleX. The procedures, expected to be available in the next few years, take advantage of a recent discovery: Early in pregnancy, DNA from the fetus enters the mother’s blood and can then be tested. More»

(NEWSER) - Smog might be just as bad for your brain as it is for your lungs, a study finds. Researchers monitored the air pollution 249 mothers were exposed to during pregnancy, then monitored their children. They found that high pollution levels corresponded to a four-point drop in the kids’ IQ scores by age 5, Time reports. More»