First-time pregnancy complications linked to increased risk of hypertension later in life

Women who experience complications such as preterm births and preeclampsia during their first pregnancy are nearly twice more likely than women without complications to develop high blood pressure later in life — some as quickly as 3 years later, according to a new study of more than 4,000 women.

Read more

Analyses of newborn babies' head odors suggest importance in facilitating bonding

Scientists have identified the chemical makeup of the odors produced by newborn babies' heads. The results shed more light on the olfactory importance of newborns' heads in mother-baby and kin recognition. They also developed a non-invasive and stress-free method of sampling these odors directory from heads of the babies. Research into these odors can hopefully be utilized in the prevention of issues such as infant neglect and attachment disorders.

Read more

Some parents pass on more mutations to their children than others

Everyone is a mutant but some are prone to diverge more than others, report scientists. A new study shows the number of mutations a child has compared to her parents varies dramatically with some people being born with twice as many as others, and that characteristic runs in families.

Read more