Scientists discover awesome secret hiding in our early pregnancy ultrasound scan

A study has revealed something intriguing about what ultrasounds tell us about unborn babies.

It has long been thought that children first show signs of being left or right handed when they are toddlers - but researchers now believe pre-birth scans could contain vital clues.

New evidence suggests that the left-right preference could begin when the spine is forming.

Researchers from the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany found that it could be determined as early as the eighth week of pregnancy.

And in ultrasounds the clues could be there - from week 13 of pregnancy, unborn children will either suck their left or right thumb.

When children are in the womb, their motor cortex - which sends a signal from the brain to the spinal cord and initiates movement - is not formed.
This means a child may already have a preference by the time it is, the study in
eLife journal found.

Studies dating back to the 1980s have previously suggested that a child's preferred hand could be decided in the early weeks of pregnancy.
But further study is needed before it can conclusively be said that ultrasounds can give you a clue about whether your child will be left-or-right handed.

-Mirror.co.uk