America's grim record on maternal mortality

+ can you cry underwater? US Edition - Today's top story: Risk of death related to pregnancy and childbirth more than doubled between 1999 and 2019 in the US, new study finds [View in browser]( US Edition | 23 August 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Far more women die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth in the United States than in other industrialized countries – a grim reality that has only worsened since the start of the pandemic. Although this alarming trend is well known, scientists have not had a clear picture of who is most at risk – and in what regions of the U.S. – until now. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation reported that Black women experienced higher maternal deaths every year from 1999 to 2019 than any other racial group. What’s more, they found that maternal mortality more than doubled in the U.S. during that 20-year period throughout the country across racial and ethnic groups, including among white mothers. Risk of maternal death rose the most in American Indian and Alaska Native populations and increased by more than 162% in certain states. Even more alarming is that [most of those deaths are deemed preventable](, the authors write. “In the U.S., maternal deaths are most often caused by problems that have very effective treatments.” Also in this week’s science news: - [Trends in space economics]( - [How to live in a world with wildfire]( - [The hidden human labor behind AI]( Amanda Mascarelli Senior Health and Medicine Editor Today's newsletter supported by [Anthropocene magazine]( Maternal death rates are higher in the U.S. than in other high-income countries. Tetra Images/Getty Images [Risk of death related to pregnancy and childbirth more than doubled between 1999 and 2019 in the US, new study finds]( Laura Fleszar, University of Washington; Allison Bryant Mantha, Harvard University; Catherine O. Johnson, University of Washington; Greg Roth, University of Washington Black women died during or soon after pregnancy at higher rates than any other racial group in every year from 1999 to 2019. American Indian and Alaska Native women had the greatest increase in risk during this period. It’s tempting to envision orcas attacking yachts as the forward troops in an animal uprising. Jackson Roberts/iStock via Getty Images Plus [Memes about animal resistance are everywhere — here’s why you shouldn’t laugh off rebellious orcas and sea otters too quickly]( Alexandra Isfahani-Hammond, University of California, San Diego A few marine mammals in apparent revolt pushed meme-makers into overdrive. 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Nelson, Georgia Institute of Technology Language model AIs seem smart because of how they string words together, but in reality they can’t do anything without many people guiding them every step of the way. - [Can you cry underwater?]( Geoffrey Bradford, West Virginia University An ophthalmologist explains how important tears are to keeping your eyes feeling good and working well – whether you’re on dry land or swimming in a body of water. [The Conversation Book Club launch event on September 14.]( Join the conversation with Manil Suri and The Conversation’s Senior Science + Technology Editor, Maggie Villiger, on September 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific. Please [register in advance]( to save your spot. - Like this newsletter? 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