Famine leads to more girl births
Boys are often born more frequently than girls, but during times of famine, female births tend to dominate. One theory says that having a girl can improve the odds of a mother’s DNA surviving a prolonged crisis like this and that only a few strong males can reproduce in a survival situation. However, almost all women are capable of giving birth, even when they are significantly malnourished. Still, we’re not sure exactly how hunger impacts an unborn baby’s gender. One study found that male embryos can be lost if the mother’s blood sugar is consistently low, and hence, more female embryos survive having a hypoglycemic mother.
Space kids don’t exist (yet)
All the steps that contribute to a successful birth rely on luck. 75% of embryos are lost before someone even knows that they’re pregnant, and for the pregnancy to continue, various milestones must be met. Space doesn’t guarantee that those milestones will be achieved, and scientists don’t know how space (and the lack of gravity) will impact a child’s development. With everything floating, a child may slip out of a doctor’s hands, and a collision may happen. There’s also the risk of cosmic rays and radiation. Ironing out all these details, from conception to delivery and raising a child, is paramount since humans may eventually settle on Mars!
The last human baby
Society is constantly oscillating over the birth rate. Everyone fears that excessive birth rates will deplete resources, transforming us into a dystopian wasteland. When these rates drop, people panic that we’re headed toward extinction. If (worst-case scenario) we do suffer a disaster that erases fertility, humans would last another 70 years or so. Although life spans are longer, this is driven by medicine and security. As the last child ages, the human race won’t be able to maintain the production of medicine nor maintain fodder or drinking water. Society will lose order, and violence might kill the last human. If it doesn’t, then a lack of health care and proper nutrition just might!
