AI Helps Couple Get Pregnant After Trying For 18 Years
Having knocked on every door, the couple turned to the Columbia University Fertility Center (CUFC) to try a novel approach, according to a report in CNN. Using the STAR (Sperm Tracking and Recovery) method, which uses AI to identify hidden sperm in men, the couple had their lucky breakthrough.
Researchers at the fertility centre examined the semen sample with the AI-powered system and managed to find the hidden sperm. After recovering the sperm, it was used to fertilise the wife's egg via IVF, and she became the first-ever woman to conceive using the STAR method.
"It took me two days to believe I was actually pregnant," the woman said. "I still wake up in the morning and can't believe if this is true or not. I still don't believe I am pregnant until I see the scans."
The STAR method
The STAR method was developed after a five-year research by Dr Zev Williams, director of the CUFC and his colleagues. The team was left amazed as well after the method yielded results in real life.
"A patient provided a sample, and highly skilled technicians looked for two days through that sample to try to find sperm. They didn't find any. We brought it to the AI-based STAR System. In one hour, it found 44 sperm. So right then, we realised, 'Wow, this is really a game-changer. This is going to make such a big difference for patients,' " said Mr Williams, who led the research team.
After a semen sample is placed on a specially designed chip under a microscope, the STAR system uses high-powered imaging to scan the entire semen sample and capture over eight million images in under an hour. AI, which has been trained to identify sperm cells, then steps in and spots the reproductive cell.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
7 hours ago
- News18
CDC Shooting Motive: Gunman Blamed COVID-19 Vaccine for Illness Officer Killed In Atlanta
Police are operating under the theory that the gunman was either sick or believed that he was sick and blamed the illness on the Covid-19 vaccine, a law enforcement official told CNN. An employee at the CDC, which is near Emory, told CNN he saw a man approach agency's HQ and shoot at the building. Mobile App -
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Patrick Joseph White's father called police before CDC shooting; saying ‘son was suicidal'
Patrick Joseph White of Kennesaw, Georgia, was identified as the suspect in the shooting outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters at Emory Point, Atlanta, on Friday. The 30-year-old died at the scene. Authorities confirmed that he fatally shot Officer David Rose, who was with the DeKalb County Police Department. Armed police officers walk near the scene of shooting at the Emory University in Atlanta on Friday(AP) On Friday night, CNN cited a law enforcement official to report that the shooter's father called authorities, saying he believed his son 'was suicidal'. White's family is yet to confirm the details. 'It was not immediately clear how much time had elapsed between the call and the shooting,' CNN reported. Read More: Patrick Joseph White: 5 key facts on Emoy University-CDC shooting suspect Furious over COVID vaccine? CNN further reported that law enforcement believes that it is possible that Patrick Joseph White 'attacked' the CDC HQ over his frustration with the COVID-19 vaccine. Cody Alcorn of 11 Alive cited White's neighbors as reporting that the suspect faced issues with the vaccine. He opened fire on the CDC headquarters from across the street, shattering windows across multiple buildings, fatally wounding a police officer, and leaving the sidewalk outside a CVS pharmacy strewn with bullet casings. Read More: CDC suspect Patrick Joseph White faced issues with COVID vaccine; 'was pleasant' otherwise Law enforcement response The attack triggered a massive law enforcement response to one of the nation's leading public health institutions. CDC Director Susan Monarez said in a post on X that at least four CDC buildings were struck. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described the suspect Friday night as a 'known person that may have, some interest in certain things'. The gunman was found dead at the scene, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said, adding, 'we do not know at this time whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted.' Mayor Dickens said the shooter's motive remains unknown at this early stage. Officer David Rose, 33, was a former Marine who served in Afghanistan, graduated from the police academy in March, and 'quickly earned the respect of his colleagues for his dedication, courage and professionalism,' the DeKalb County Police Department said. 'This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father,' said DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson.
NDTV
14 hours ago
- NDTV
Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb Suggests Interstellar Object Could Be Alien Probe
A senior Harvard astronomer has reignited speculation about the origins of a vast interstellar object hurtling through the solar system. He has suggested that it might be an engineered probe instead of a natural phenomenon. Professor Avi Loeb, who heads Harvard's astronomy department, told CNN on August 7 that the Manhattan-sized body, officially designated 3I/ATLAS, was detected in early July by the Deep Random Survey telescope in Chile. Comet created by alien technology? While NASA has said that the comet doesn't pose a threat to the Earth, Loeb believes its characteristics raise questions about whether it could have been created by an intelligent civilisation. In a blog post, he wrote, 'Is 3I/ATLAS alien technology?' He told CNN, 'Usually, for comets, you see a tail trailing behind the object. Here, the glow is actually in front of it. We've never seen such a thing. A comet doesn't glow in front.' Loeb described the feature as 'puzzling' in another blog post and speculated on its potential mission. '(3I/ATLAS) may come to save us or destroy us. We'd better be ready for both options and check whether all interstellar objects are rocks,' he said. NASA says the comet will stay at least 1.8 astronomical units away (around 270 million kilometres) and reach its closest point to the Sun on October 30, 2025. Why is this comet different? Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed object to originate from beyond the solar system, according to NASA. It has been identified as interstellar due to the hyperbolic shape of its orbit, which does not loop around the Sun. Two new Hubble Space Telescope images, taken on July 21, appear to show light concentrated ahead of the object rather than behind. In his post, Loeb wrote, 'The existence of a glow ahead of 31/ATLAS but no evidence of gas molecules is puzzling.' The astrophysicist also pointed to its unusual path. Speaking to CNN, he said, 'It lies in the plane of the orbits of the planets around the Sun to within five degrees. It will arrive closest to the sun when the Earth is on the opposite side. We won't be able to observe it. But that's the perfect time for it to manoeuvre.' According to Loeb's recent paper, that trajectory could allow the object to discreetly study planetary motion within our system. The closest approach to the Sun is expected on October 31.
