Fetuses Caught Yawning In 4D

Rambo Tribble writes "Reuters reports 4D scans have conclusively shown that fetuses do yawn. Understandable, eh? After all, all they get is cable."

Comments

4D?

[Stiletto]

WTF is "4D" supposed to mean when applied to ultrasound technology? They're 2D images of 3D objects. Can we finally measure the hyperfetus?

Re:4D?

[dmbasso]

It is supposed to mean it has height, width, depth and time.

Re:4D?

[serviscope_minor]

They're 2D images of 3D objects.

Nope. Ultrasound gives complete depth measurements. So each time step is an (X,Y,Z) data cube (actually (theta,phy,time)->response ), where response is the magnitude of the received sound in the microphone. Therefore each elenment in the video is therefore the tuple (X, Y, Z, T)->some value, i.e. 4 dimensional.

The video shown is just a projection, but ultrasound gives multiple depth readings, not just a single 2D manifold, so the raw data (obviously not the video here) is certainly 4D data.

So yeah, ultrasound does provide full 4D data and the files are immense.

Re:4D?

[Jason Levine]

The fetus has a tiny Delorian in there with it.

"Won't I run into the Uterus' wall?"

"You're not thinking Fourth Dimensionally."

"Yeah, I have a real problem with that."

Re:4D?

[SuricouRaven]

2D is the standard slice ultrasound. 3D is the voxel view that shows three-dimensional structure. 4D is just 3D, but with a fast enough computer to update smoothly. Usually 2D is the most use for medical purposes, as a skilled operator can put together the image in their head and see much more internal structure - but for an unskilled viewer, they just look like formless blobs. 3D/4D are most often seen in relation to the abortion debate, where they are the bane of the pro-choice side who can't quite come up with anything to counter the pure emotive imagery of 'Look at the cute baby suck it's thumb!'

Re:4D?

[Nationless]

Man, I can't wait until video games get the technology to not just be viewable static 3d models.

Re:4D?

[Anonymous Coward]

Every "imaging system" is practically worthless without the knowledge to interpret the results. Images from say FISH-microscopy are equally incomprehensible to the layperson, though it looks pretty "because color". And only because you might actually know "oh, thats a knee on that x-ray" does not mean you will spot the arthrosis because e.g. the subchondral cysts will only be "blobs and splotches" to you.

Mind you, ultrasound has become really good lately. You wouldn't want to see images from the eighties in comparison to modern ones. And it is a dynamic imaging technique. Print-outs are only for documentation, seldom for interpretation. Every clinician worth his salt that wants to verify or understand the written diagnosis will want to re-sound it to see it first-hand.

Source: I do that, though not yet for a living.

Re:You've Touched The 3rd Rail!!

[interkin3tic]

Abortion third rail on slashdot? Please. Climate change, that's more of a third rail than abortion.

Re:Incredible

[stms]

Take it easy on him at least he's suggesting that some of us may be having sex. I for one am flattered.

And?

[Paul Carver]

So do dogs. Cats yawn too. I'm not sure about mice.

What's the point of this story, is there some burning question as to what organisms yawn? A yawning controversy I haven't heard of perhaps? Or some prospective line of in inquiry into the science of yawning?

This story seems like a puff piece devoid of any significant detail or content worth posting to Slashdot.

Re:This is silly.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yawning is not all about breathing. Why would you post so authoritatively about something you are ignorant? Oh right, slashdot.

Here's a link at your level

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/yawning.html

Re:This is silly.

[s0nicfreak]

A fetus becomes a baby the moment it exits the mother's body alive.
An ass never becomes a man, it becomes an adult ass.

Re:You've Touched The 3rd Rail!!

[Austerity Empowers]

The study was performed on fetuses 24 to 36 weeks in gestation. Casual abortion on fetuses of that age is illegal almost everywhere. I don't think this will touch of an abortion debate amongst the mostly male population of Slashdot, who either a) have never had sex, b) will have long since run away from any woman they impregnated by that point, or c) I know this is inconceivable, accepted fatherhood and are preparing for a new geeklet.

Of course on other sites with actual women, they may decry the lack of parasite removal options after the 24th week and use this as some anthropomorphism of the parasite.

Re:You've Touched The 3rd Rail!!

[Anonymous Coward]

If that were the pro-life stance I might listen to them. However, reailty steps in and they think killing live born babies who have survived an abortion after full term gestation should be allowed. I can't agree with that stance. Obama voted 4 times in IL to continue allowing babies who are born surviving an abortion to be killed. So you may not be in the pro-life camp, but I can assure you are no where near the pro-choice camp at all.

Obama

Re:This is silly.

[drkim]

When does the fetus become a baby?

Under the ancient Jewish tradition, the fetus is only considered a human once it graduates medical school.

Re:You've Touched The 3rd Rail!!

[reboot246]

They don't want to hear that. They ignored it in 2008 and now they're ignoring it in 2012. It just doesn't fit with what they say they believe.

Re:Speaking as a proud parent

[Weaselmancer]

It may be needed, it may not. I am assured she is a beautiful baby, but I think all babies look like Winston Churchill.