Startup Launches Test to Identify Defects Before IVF Pregnancy
“With IVF, after a woman has had around two weeks of daily hormone injections, her mature eggs are extracted and fertilized in a lab, and the viable embryos are later transferred into the uterus.
Orchid said its new test will help couples identify whether their embryos present genetic risks such as birth defects, neurodevelopmental disorders, chromosomal abnormalities, or pediatric and adult-onset cancers that were previously only detectable after birth.”
FHI 360 Conducting Trial for Biodegradable Contraceptive Implant
“FHI 360 is leading a Phase I clinical trial of the biodegradable contraceptive implant Casea S in the Dominican Republic. Casea S is designed to release a synthetic hormone (the progestin etonogestrel, which is used in existing contraceptive implants) to prevent pregnancy for 18 to 24 months before dissolving, eliminating the need for removal by a health care provider.”
“Over the last two decades, Nepal has made notable progress in maternal and neonatal healthcare. The maternal mortality ratio has declined from 536 per 100,000 live births in 1996 to 151 by 2021…
There has been a remarkable rise in institutional deliveries, an increase in antenatal visits, and an impressive 70% of women receiving postpartum care from healthcare providers within the first two days after giving birth.”
“Rising US Maternal Mortality Rates” Are Due to Flawed Data
“New research has found that prior studies showing high and rising rates of maternal mortality in the United States are due to flawed data.
The maternal mortality crisis in the U.S. has shown high rates of maternal deaths compared to other countries – but the study, published Wednesday in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that data may have been classified incorrectly for two decades.
The number of women dying after giving birth in the U.S. has been concerning and raised questions about the country’s health care. While past estimates show the maternal mortality rate has more than doubled in the last two decades, this week’s study found it has remained steady.”
Over the past two centuries, humanity has become massively more prosperous, better educated, healthier, and more peaceful.
The underlying cause of this progress is innovation. Human innovation―whether it be new ideas, inventions, or systems―is the primary way people create wealth and escape poverty.
Our upcoming book, Heroes of Progress: 65 People Who Changed the World, explores the lives of the most important innovators who have ever lived, from agronomists who saved billions from starvation and intellectuals who changed public policy for the better, to businesspeople whose innovations helped millions rise from poverty.
If it weren’t for the heroes profiled in this book, we’d all be far poorer, sicker, hungrier, and less free―if we were fortunate enough to be alive at all.
Considering their impact on humanity, perhaps it’s time to learn their story?
Heroes of Progress Book Forum
On March 21st, the author of Heroes of Progress, Alexander Hammond, will present the book live at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. He will be joined by Marian Tupy, the editor of Human Progress, and Clay Routledge, the Archbridge Institute’s Vice President of Research, who will speak on the individual’s role in advancing human progress and the need for a cultural progress movement.