Over the years, I have been intrigued by the BBC’s ability to present exemplary examples of scientific inquiry that are accessible to laypeople. However, the series, which was broadcast a few years ago on the BBC programme Inside the Human Body, may be the most captivating of all. It was replete with spectacular graphics.
Although the video was first created some time ago, it was not until later that most of us in the United States became aware of a YouTube video of one segment, a time-lapse of the development of the human face in utero. Please find a link to the relevant material attached.
The New Scientist reports that the animation is based on human embryo scans captured between 1 and 3 months after conception, which is the period during which a face develops.
Virtual sculptures were created at different stages and subsequently combined by mapping hundreds of points to corresponding dots on the other models, as Sandrine Ceurstemont of New Scientist explains.
David Barker, the graphics researcher on the production, posited that the formation of these structures is a complex process involving the growth and fusion of moving plates of tissue.
In the video, Michael Mosley, the producer and presenter, elucidates that the three principal sections of the puzzle converge in the middle of the upper lip, thereby forming the groove that is the philtrum (the vertical groove between the base of the nose and the border of the upper lip).
He further elaborates, “This remarkable process, whereby the various components converge to form a recognisable human face, occurs within the womb between two and three months.”
It is evident why Barker appeared to be simultaneously disconcerted and gratified. He further elaborated, stating that the structures of the nose and palate, which did not exist for the majority of the animation, presented a significant challenge.
It is evident that the choreography of the developmental process is nothing short of breathtaking, and that it conveys an unmistakable message regarding the beauty and fragility of unborn life.
“The transformation occurs with exactitude, and delays can result in a cleft lip or palate,” states Ceurstemont.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
