Natural Disasters May Be Shaping Babies’ Brains
Research on Superstorm Sandy suggests climate crises could affect future generations, even if they weren’t yet born.
A new study used brain imaging to evaluate how climate disasters like Superstorm Sandy may impact children’s development.
Source: Rebecca M. Lee and Abid FahimClimate disasters are known for damaging homes, disrupting power and displacing residents. But even after the lights come back on and people return to their homes, their effects can linger — including in the brains of children born afterwards, a new study suggests.
Climate stressors, and the effect they have on pregnant people, appear to affect the brain development of their babies, according to the study published in PLOS One on Wednesday, which relied on brain imaging conducted years after 2012’s Superstorm Sandy hit the New York City metro area.