Tia has interned at Science News, Wired.com, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and has written for the Center for Investigative Reporting, Scientific American, and ScienceNow. She has a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California Santa Cruz.
Tia Ghose, Senior Writer
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24-week old fetus yawning
Credit: Nadja Reissland
Though the exact purpose of yawning is a mystery, 4-D ultrasound images reveal that fetuses yawn in utero
27-week old fetus
Credit: Nadja Reissland
Yawns can be distinguished from feeding reflexes because yawning mouths spend longer open and have a shorter closing period.
28-week old fetus
Credit: Nadja Reissland
As babies mature, they yawn less frequently. Researchers believe yawning may help trigger brain development.
32-week old fetus
Credit: Nadja Reissland
Because yawning frequency changes throughout pregnancy, yawn patterns could be used as a marker of healthy development.
Yawning in utero
Credit: Wolfgang Moroder
By the time babies are full-term, they have stopped yawning in the womb.
Fetal Faces
Credit: Nadja Reissland
Researchers used ultrasound images of fetuses' faces, like these, to track how they used progressively more complex facial movements.
