Repronews #69: How safe are ART?
NYT on polygenic screening | S'pore cognitive enhancement | Hanson Plan for fertility | PET on population decline | Green Sahara humans | 23andMe’s database | Arctic evolution of East Asians
Welcome to the latest issue of Repronews! Highlights from this week’s edition:
Repro/genetics
A systematic review finds higher risks of congenital anomalies for ART-conceived children, although there are many confounding factors
“Sex is for fun, and embryo screening is for babies”: The New York Times reports on Orchid Health and companies offering polygenic embryo selection
Alexis Heng Boon Chin raises concerns about cognitive enhancement technologies in Singapore’s hypercompetitive culture
Population Policies & Trends
Cremieux and Robin Hanson’s proposals to boost fertility in rich countries
UK fertility group PET discusses whether fertility treatments are a solution to stem population decline
Genetic Studies
DNA from skeletons from era of the “green Sahara” shows an ancient population shared culturally but did not mix genetically with others
Nature discusses how bankrupt 23andMe’s genetic database of 1.5 million people could continue to benefit scientific research
Further Learning
David Sun presents evidence that East Asian psychology evolved due to their ancestors’ prolonged life in arctic conditions
Rhiannon Handcock argues that targeting low-heritability traits is worthwhile in animal breeding
Repro/genetics
“Congenital anomalies observed in children conceived through ART: A systematic review and meta-analysis” (JARG)
Paripoorna Bhat and colleagues review 113 studies on the association between assisted reproductive technology (ART) and congenital anomalies in newborns.
The review compares the incidence of congenital anomalies in ART-conceived children and those conceived naturally.
The study finds that ART-conceived children have a marginally higher risk compared to the control group.
Cumulatively slightly higher risk was found found for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI; used to treat male infertility), Day 3 transfer, and fresh embryo transfer (ET), rather than those conceived via IVF, Day 5 transfer, or frozen embryo transfer (FET).
Overall, the incidence of congenital anomalies was 2.48% for naturally conceived children and 3.45% for ART-conceived children.
ART’s increased risk is partly due to selection effects: ART is more likely to be used by older mothers and people with infertility and subfertility, who may have health conditions, lifestyle factors, or genetic predispositions making congenital anomalies more likely.
The authors call for more studies investigating why particular procedures are associated with slightly increased risk and mitigating confounding factors.
The authors conclude that it is essential to educate patients to make informed and “align the positive impact of ART with the identification of adverse outcomes for the sake of future generations.”
Researchers have previously cautioned that ART may increase mutational load by bypassing natural mechanisms that select viable sperm. ART may also lead to epigenetic disruption, though there is no conclusive evidence of a strong link with elevated risk of disease in adulthood.
“This baby was carefully selected as an embryo” (New York Times)
The New York Times reports on Orchid, a company providing polygenic embryo selection against many common diseases.
Orchid Founder and CEO Noor Siddiqui said she was motivated by her mother’s loss of vision due to a random genetic mutation to prevent “genetic misfortunes.”
Siddiqui foresees comprehensive embryo screening replacing traditional reproduction, saying: “Sex is for fun, and embryo screening is for babies.”
Orchid and similar companies screen for risks like obesity, autism, and possibly intellectual ability and height, enabling both genetic health and enhancement.
The U.S. for the most part does not restrict embryo selection and has become a global hub for cutting-edge reproductive services.
Some companies have marketed embryo selection for IQ. The distinction between preventing disability and selecting for intelligence (enhancement) is blurry.
Proponents of polygenic embryo testing, like bioethicist Julian Savulescu, argue that parents have a duty to provide their children with genetic advantages, which could enhance human capabilities and lower healthcare costs.
“Caveats on human cognitive enhancement technologies based on the sociocultural context of Singapore” (JoME)
Alexis Heng Boon Chin, a Singapore fertility consultant, highlights possible negative effects of allowing technologies for cognitive enhancement in Singapore.
He argues that in “a hypercompetitive shame-based Confucian society” like Singapore, the autonomy of cognitively enhanced children “would likely be curtailed by the heavy-handed ‘tiger-parenting’ approach of their parents, who, after investing so much money in enhancing their cognitive ability, would have ‘heightened’ expectations of their academic performance.”
He argues that cognitive enhancement may not necessarily improve the future prospects and life success of children if this further exacerbates an unbalanced job market with an oversupply of university graduates.
If cognitive enhancement is expensive, this could further aggravate socioeconomic disparities as well as further accelerate accelerate demographic decline due to the heavy financial burden on prospective parents.
Chin concludes that “Singapore must carefully consider these caveats before permitting such cognitive-enhancing technologies.”
More on repro/genetics:
“Ethicists call for international limits on number of children per sperm donor” (PET)
“Quality of life, spiritual needs, and well-being of people affected by infertility and its treatment” (JARG)
“Fertility regulator survey reveals widespread use of IVF add-ons” (PET)
“For a rights-based approach to fertility and demography – policy statement by Coalition for Fertility” (Fertility Europe)
Population Policies & Trends
“Fertility policy for rich countries” (Cremieux Recueil)
Blogger Cremieux presents the “Hanson Scheme,” inspired by economist Robin Hanson, to raise fertility in wealthy countries.
The scheme would incentivize childrearing by enabling parents to claim a portion of their chilren’s tax payments.
The scheme also suggests universal provision of fertility services such as IVF.
“Is fertility treatment a solution to population decline?” (PET)
The British fertility group PET held an event gathering experts to discuss whether fertility treatments can help tackle global population decline, which poses socioeconomic challenges due to aging societies and shrinking workforces.
Professor Geeta Nargund, discussed the Economist Impact report Fertility Policy and Practice: A Toolkit for Europe, to which she contributed. The report’s expert panel found that the greatest impact on fertility would likely be from improving the availability, accessibility and affordability of childcare, with joint second place for workplace policies and assisted conception policies.
The evidence reviewed suggested that improving access to assisted conception could raise the total fertility by 0.04 points, while also reducing social stigma, improving wellbeing and achieving equity for people affected by infertility.
Public funding of IVF has a good return on investment, considering the projected economic activity of each extra person born throughout their lifetimes.
Professor Bart Fauser, Scientific Director of the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), discussed the IFFS consensus document on declining global fertility rates.
The IFFS document argues that having a family (if you want to) is a human right, so countries should adopt family-friendly policies and make fertility treatment more accessible (including for same-sex couples and single people).
Professor Fauser warned that because IVF is not always successful, assisted conception cannot entirely compensate for reductions in birthrate caused by people choosing to have children later in life. There also needs to be education to ensure people understand their chances of becoming parents as they age.
Dr. Chris Skedgel, Director of the Office of Health Economics, said addressing infertility is an opportunity to increase births while helping people achieve their desired family. According to the WHO, one in six couples are affected by infertility. Dr Skedgel estimated that providing access to fertility treatment might address 10% of the fertility gap.
Dr. Paul Morland, a demographer, broadcaster, and author of books including No One Left: Why the World Needs More Children, said biological infertility was responsible for a small share of declining births.
He attributed declining births to estrangement between men and women, family-unfriendly cities, and the “propaganda of anti-natalism.” He suggested governments and societies need to build a “pro-natal” culture, citing the example of Israel.
Dr. Morland also argued that immigration is not a solution insofar as most countries not have subreplacement fertility and called inviting immigration of the most educated or qualified people from other countries a form of “biological imperialism.”
Addressing a question from the audience, Dr. Morland the claim that pronatalism is inherently “far-right” can be countered by pointing out that population decline is a global issue and not limited to white populations.
PET now has a section of its website dedicated to population decline news.
Genetic Studies
“Skeletons from ‘green Sahara’ offer genetic peek at a lost human population” (Science)
7000 years ago, the Sahara was a lush savanna, home to large animals and human populations.
Archaeologists previously struggled to test theories about the people of this “green Sahara” due to DNA preservation issues.
A recent study extracted DNA from two mummified women buried in a Libyan cave, marking the first ancient genomes from the Sahara.
The genetic data revealed an unknown population, distinct from both sub-Saharan Africans and Levantines.
These ancient Saharans did not show significant gene flow from nearby populations, challenging previous hypotheses about migration.
Pottery found suggests contact with other North African groups, but no genetic mixing.
The women’s mitochondrial DNA traced their lineage to an early African population that had migrated to Europe but is now extinct.
Further research is needed, but political instability in the region makes further excavation difficult.
“23andMe plans to sell its huge genetic database: Could science benefit?” (Nature)
The company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy and plans to sell its assets, including a vast genetic database of 15 million people which has enabled over 250 scientific studies.
Researchers hope that the new owner will continue to offer and even optimize access to the valuable dataset for scientific research and improved collaborations.
80% of 23andMe customers consented to have their genetic data used for research.
Some customers are worried that a change in ownership could lead to privacy breaches, such as insurance companies or law enforcement accessing data.
A 2008 federal law prevents health insurers from using genetic data to adjust premiums, but life insurers may still use it.
23andMe plans to secure a buyer that aligns with its privacy values and research mission, with an auction potentially starting on 14 May.
More on genetic studies:
“60 genes linked to congenital heart disease identified” (PET)
“Parental income moderates the influence of genetic dispositions on political interest in adolescents” (Politics & the Life Sciences)
Podcast: “Is there a genetic basis for fairness?” (Aporia)
Further Learning
“Arctic instincts? The late Pleistocene Arctic origins of East Asian psychology” (APA PsycNet)
David Sun explores the hypothesis that modern East Asian populations inherited and maintained extensive psychosocial adaptations evolved during their ancestors’ prolonged life in the arctic and subarctic.
The study presents the first cross-psychology comparison between modern East Asian and Inuit populations, using the latter as a model for paleolithic Arctic populations.
Both East Asians and the Inuit exhibit high emotional control / suppression, ingroup harmony / cohesion, unassertiveness, indirectness, self and social consciousness, reserve / introversion, cautiousness, and perseverance / endurance.
These same traits have been identified by decades of research in polar psychology (psychological research on workers, expeditioners, and military personnel living and working in the Arctic and Antarctic) as being adaptive for, or byproducts of, life in polar environments.
Sun suggests the proposed Arcticist traits in modern East Asian and Inuit populations “primarily represent adaptations to arctic climates, specifically for the adaptive challenges of highly interdependent survival in an extremely dangerous, unpredictable, and isolated environment, with frequent prolonged close-quarters group confinement, and exacerbated consequences for social devaluation / exclusion / expulsion.”
The article concludes with a reexamination of previous theories on the roots of East Asian psychology, mainly that of rice farming and Confucianism.
He notes that rice farming also extends to Indian, north Italian, Iranian, and Malay populations with markedly different psychologies.
Sun finds non-Confucian East Asian populations, such as pastoralist Mongolians, similarly value emotional suppression.
He argues that Confucian, Daoist, and other East Asian value systems built upon and resonated with this pre-existing Arcticist psychology: “Confucianism contains major Arcticist themes of emphasizing emotional restraint, self-control, social harmony, self and social consciousness, social adaptability, perseverance / hard work, modesty / humility, cautiousness/risk aversion, and a practical / atheoretical epistemology. Scholars sometimes colloquially misattribute ‘Confucian’ traits among East Asian populations to have originated from the influence of Confucius, but Confucianism is commonly noted in Classical Chinese studies as just his rearticulation, theoretical systemization, and revival of the previous dynasties’ social values, rituals, laws, and aesthetics.”
Sun also has an X thread summarizing the article.
“Is focusing on low-heritability traits valuable when making breeding decisions?” (Farmers Weekly)
Animal evaluation scientist Rhiannon Handcock argues that even low-heritability traits should be targeted through animal breeding.
Traits with higher heritability improve faster through selection, while lower heritability traits improve more slowly.
Breeding Worth (BW), an index used to economically rank cattle, focuses on both high and low heritability traits, including economically important but slower-improving traits.
Low-heritability traits like fertility and survival improve slowly but are critical for herd productivity and wellbeing.
High-heritability traits such as liveweight and milk production respond more quickly to selection, showing faster genetic gains.
Handcock argues that low-heritability, traits like fertility can significantly impact farm outcomes, with small genetic improvements accumulating over generations.
More on human nature, evolution, and biotech:
“Mitochondria transplants could cure diseases and lengthen lives” (The Economist)
“Humans may not have survived without Neanderthals” (BBC)
“How Europe aims to woo US scientists and protect academic freedom” (Nature)
“A brain drain would impoverish the United States and diminish world science” (Nature)
Disclaimer: We cannot fact-check the linked-to stories and studies, nor do the views expressed necessarily reflect our own.