How Do Magnets Help Scientists Study Pregnancy and Children?

Pregnancy and childhood are important times of great change and growth. Inside the mom’s body, a baby grows from the size of a poppy seed to the size of a watermelon in just 10 months! After birth, the brain doubles in size by the time the baby is 1 year old. As a child’s body grows, scientists and doctors may need to investigate how things are changing by taking a picture of the inside of the child’s body. With this information, doctors can understand if the child needs special care, and researchers can learn about the growing body. One way to collect such pictures is by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this article, you will learn how MRI works, when it is helpful to use during pregnancy and childhood, and how researchers around the world are using MRI in new ways.