'Like a sci-fi movie': US baby born from 30-year-old frozen embryo breaks record
At the time, Ms Archerd initially created four embryos. One become her now-30-year-old daughter, and the other three were left in storage. Despite separating from her husband, she did not want to get rid of the embryos, donate them for research or give them to another family anonymously.She said it was important that she was involved with the baby, as they would be related to her adult daughter. Ms Archerd paid thousands of dollars a year for storage until she found a Christian embryo adoption agency, Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which runs a programme known as Snowflakes. Many of these agencies consider their programmes to be saving lives. The programme used by Ms Archerd allows donors to choose a couple, meaning they can state religious, racial and nationality preferences.Ms Archerd's preference was for a married Caucasian, Christian couple living in the US, as she didn't want to "go out of the country", she told MIT Technology Review. She ultimately matched with the Pierces. The IVF clinic in Tennessee at which the couple underwent the procedure, Rejoice Fertility, said its aim was to transfer any embryo it received, no matter the age or conditions.Ms Pierce said she and her husband did not set out to "break any records", but just "wanted to have a baby".Ms Archerd told MIT Technology Review she had not met the baby in person yet, but could already see a resemblance with her daughter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘Weapons' spins small town into chaos that mirrors real life, humor and all
If there's one thing Zach Cregger learned while writing and directing his upcoming horror movie 'Weapons,' it's that the best laughs won't come from the jokes he writes. The film follows Cregger's 2022 solo directorial debut ' Barbarians,' the widely celebrated genre-bending horror. This time, the young director bends even more, spinning a town into chaos when all children but one from the same classroom mysteriously vanish, leaving a trail of questions in their place. The Warner Bros. release hits theaters Friday and is as creepy as it is hilarious — a delicate balance that required Cregger to strip any intentionality behind his humor, he told The Associated Press. 'If the humor is coming from an authentic reaction that a character's having, then it works,' Cregger said. 'There's a lot of jokes that didn't make it into the movie that I thought were going to be so funny. And then we did a test screening, and nobody laughed and I'm like, OK, it's gotta go.' Paranoia runs deep in the film. The town's heartbroken parents are represented by Josh Brolin's character, Archer, whose son was among the missing. The students' teacher, played by Julia Garner, is determined to solve the mystery, despite parents blaming her for the disappearances. The humor here comes naturally, Cregger said, as characters navigate the absurd events happening around them. 'You're not playing for the laugh, otherwise you lose the laugh,' said Brolin, whose character stumbles through his grief, a state ripe for what he called genuine and 'embarrassingly funny' moments. Maybrook's unrest puts a mirror up to society If 17 kids up and ran out of their homes at 2:17 a.m. one morning with no trace, what would a community do? That question drove 'Weapons,' painting a picture of a town left reeling by the mystery. The film setting — the fictional small town of Maybrook, Illinois — is just as integral to the plot as any of its main characters. The town feels hyper realistic, a core tenet to the movie's ability to blend humor and horror, two genres that Garner said are 'opposite side of the same coin.' 'It's funny because this isn't even like a proper horror film,' Garner said. 'It has comedic elements and has horror elements, but it's kind of its own genre, in a way.' The town's reactions to tragedy and shock was intentionally meant to feel oddly realistic, Cregger said. Parents are outraged, storming into town halls and angrily demanding answers from the police, the school and, most pointedly, the students' teacher. Yet, when Garner's character is attacked in broad daylight, bystanders and store owners hardly bat an eye, a level of indifference that Cregger said is just as realistic as the parental outrage. 'We definitely have a, 'Whoa, not my problem,' kind of a thing when chaos is occurring, because we see it so much on TV that I think we're able to just kind of tune it out, even when it's happening in front of us,' Cregger said. 'Living in America, I've seen crazy things happen with my own eyes right in front of me, and I've just kept walking for better or worse, so I don't know, it feels real.' 'Weapons' relies on imperfect characters Brolin — who's found wide-reaching success across Hollywood, from the 1985 classic, 'The Goonies,' to the Marvel universe — initially hesitated when approached for the film. As a father of four, facing his worst nightmare — losing his children — was 'not something I want to show up to work for,' he said. But 'Weapons' lends the characters a layer of depth that allowed horror, a genre he said is typically treated as cosmetic, to suddenly have 'depth, and humor and absurdity,' which, coupled with his own adult daughter's love of 'Barbarian,' was enough to convince him to sign on. The movie subtly mocks suburban life, as goriness and horror occur under the sights of nosy neighbors, corrupt police departments and struggling relationships. Each character that drives the plot forward is just as flawed as they are victims of tragedy. Gandy, the schoolteacher, is harassed by parents for her missing students, but is secretly battling alcoholism. Archer, the heartbroken father, is failing in his job and his marriage as he navigates his son's absence. Paul Morgan, played by Alden Ehrenreich, is a local beat police officer with secrets of his own. 'Every character is perceived in a certain way and then every character breaks,' Brolin said. 'It all comes down to this very base thing: What if you lost the thing that you value the most? How do you deal?' For Ehrenreich, who's found success in dramas, notably as a young Han Solo, 'Weapons' offered a different pace, but its horror wasn't what drew him in. Rather, he was captivated by the film's depth and weirdness. 'The weird resonance, the weird opening voice-over, the way it was written and the kind of emotional brokenness of these characters and the depth that I felt was in the writing, that was as deep as any drama I've read in years,' Ehrenreich said.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Denise Richards steps out with 'black eye' days after cop confrontation at ex Aaron Phypers' home
Denise Richards sparked concern as she stepped out with an apparent black eye this week just days after getting confronted by cops at her ex Aaron Phypers' home. The 54-year-old actress, whose split from Phypers, 52, was revealed last month, was granted a temporary restraining order against Phypers on July 16, after accusing him of years of physical and emotional abuse - which he has denied. However Richards was seen arriving at Phypers' Calabasas home on Sunday before police were called. Amid the drama in her personal life, Richards stepped out in Calabasas on Tuesday with a large dark shadow around her right eye and a dark mark below her chin. The make-up free star looked somber as she strolled with sources telling TMZ her apparent bruises were 'just lighting and shadow'. They added she also underwent microneedling and a PRP injection. Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Denise Richards for comment and has yet to hear back. Sources told TMZ Richards arrived 'unannounced' at Phypers' home last week and 'started banging on a back door, demanding to be let inside.' Phypers saw this and immediately left due to concern over the restraining order. Phypers' parents let Richards inside and it was claimed she 'barged in, demanded the dog' and 'screamed at his parents that they needed to get out of the house, putting her finger in their faces.' The publication claims she allegedly began 'swinging' at Phypers' brother Brett and 'throwing mail at him.' Brett was later pictured standing by Richards' parked Corvette as they waited for police. Richards was seen being questioned by three Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies outside the home, with police concluding 'there was no crime committed and no arrests were made.' A distraught Phypers was seen consoling his 'terrified and shaken up' mom after Richards' visit - which marks the latest explosive chapter in the pair's acrimonious divorce. Richards' divorce attorney Brett Berman told Daily Mail in a statement that 'Ms. Richards did not violate a restraining order' and had only entered the home when Phypers was not there. 'On August 3, 2025, after confirming that Mr. Phypers was not present in her home. Richards entered the home to retrieve her dogs' Berman continued. Berman claimed that Richards did so 'after learning that Mr. Phypers had put down one of her other dogs without her knowledge or permission.' Phypers denied these 'absolutely false' accusations' to the Daily Mail and said: 'Denise's actions are willfully intentional in the slander and destruction of what is left of a family. He further claimed: 'This is after Denise chose to carry on an adulterous affair - after being caught not once, not twice, but three times.' In California, victims named as the 'protected person' in a restraining order will not get into trouble for contacting the person against whom the order was taken out. However, the person who is restrained by the order may use it as evidence to dismiss the order in future court proceedings. After Aaron filed divorce paperwork on July 7, Richards hit back a week later with a request for a temporary restraining order that included a laundry list of domestic abuse allegations — all of which her husband has denied. Her estranged husband has since denied all allegations of abuse, while a source close to Phypers told the Daily Mail that her black eye was actually the result of a drunken fall. He said he is waiting for an upcoming August court hearing in which a judge will decide if the order is lifted, and until then, he is banned from going near his estranged wife and their adopted daughter Eloise, 14, whom he says he adores and misses terribly. It comes days after Phypers alleged that she has been having a months-long affair with a former special forces soldier named Rudy Reyes. He claimed in a detailed letter to 'family and close friends' that Reyes has showered her with X-rated photos and videos, including a graphic clip that shows him naked and pleasuring himself. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, the Wild Things actress' outraged husband claimed he caught wind of his wife's alleged affair in April. He said she had promised to break it off, only for him to catch her lying about another hook-up with 53-year-old Rudy that took place at a Hilton Garden Inn in Burbank, California, the following month. He claimed his discovery of the May tryst then led to an explosive argument over the July 4th holiday weekend, during which she smashed his phone. Phypers was the founder of the Malibu wellness center, Q360 Club (also known as Quantum 360), until he chose to shut it down last year, on October 1, 2024. According to his petition for divorce, filed on July 7, he has not made any income since. Richards, allegedly makes $250,000 per month from being on OnlyFans, TV shows, having brand deals and doing appearances, he noted in the income and expense declaration obtained by the Daily Mail. He's requesting spousal support since he alleges his monthly expenses total $105,000, and is demanding he and Richards split 50 percent of their production company, Smoke & Mirrors Entertainment.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Machine Gun Kelly reveals somber Taylor Swift Super Bowl chat as Travis Kelce and the Chiefs were getting beat
The Chiefs' Super Bowl LIX loss was devastating for Travis Kelce, but it was a sad night for Machine Gun Kelly as well. The musician, who grew up near Kelce in Cleveland, Ohio, performed in New Orleans on the night of the game, which took place on February 9. Before his show, he sat in Kelce's box alongside Taylor Swift, and envisioned a wild night before the game kicked off. 'At the beginning of it, Taylor was like, 'Hell yea, we're gonna come watch you perform. It's gonna be crazy tonight,' he recalled to ABC News. 'Internally I was stoked, I was like oh, what a legendary night this is gonna be.' Of course, things didn't turn out quite like that as the Chiefs were blown out 40-22, and trailed 34-0 in the third quarter. 'By the third quarter, I was looking at that score, I went up to Taylor, I was like, 'Y'all aren't coming tonight, huh?,' he continued. 'She was like, 'I don't think so, man. I'll see if I can get him to get out but I don't think...'
