Fetuses Caught Yawning In 4D

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by timothy on Thursday November 22, 2012 @04:22AM from the amniotic-and-insomniac dept.

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

9 of 117 comments (clear)

4D? by Stiletto · 2012-11-22 04:38 · Score: 3, Insightful

WTF is "4D" supposed to mean when applied to ultrasound technology? They're 2D images of 3D objects. Can we finally measure the hyperfetus?
1. Re:4D? by dmbasso · 2012-11-22 04:44 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  It is supposed to mean it has height, width, depth and time.
  
  --
  `echo $[0x853204FA81]|tr 0-9 ionbsdeaml`@gmail.com
2. Re:4D? by serviscope_minor · 2012-11-22 04:47 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  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.
  
  --
  SJW n. One who posts facts.
3. Re:4D? by Jason+Levine · 2012-11-22 05:01 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  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."
  
  --
  My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
4. Re:4D? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 06:12 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  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!! by interkin3tic · 2012-11-22 04:38 · Score: 3, Insightful

Abortion third rail on slashdot? Please. Climate change, that's more of a third rail than abortion.
Re:Incredible by stms · 2012-11-22 04:59 · Score: 4, Funny

Take it easy on him at least he's suggesting that some of us may be having sex. I for one am flattered.
And? by Paul+Carver · 2012-11-22 05:07 · Score: 4, Insightful

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:You've Touched The 3rd Rail!! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 08:33 · Score: 3, Insightful

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