With their intimidating gazes and mischievous smiles, one might mistake them for extraterrestrial creatures from a Hollywood science fiction film. However, astonishingly, these are not fabricated images. These are authentic MRI scans capturing the moments of human babies inside the womb.
Social media users have been spooked and humorously alarmed by the unsettling images, originally shared in 2021. Interestingly, these scans have recently resurfaced on social media, sparking renewed discussions and generating new comments about the eerie visuals.
MRI scans differ from ultrasounds and are typically conducted only if there are medical indications for the mother or unborn baby. They are particularly useful in identifying and diagnosing abnormalities in the neck, thorax, abdomen, and spine of the foetus, as stated by Great Ormond Street Hospital.
While used during pregnancy, MRIs can generate highly realistic images of the baby. These detailed black and white images might challenge the perception of some parents who anticipate an entirely adorable little one. In 2021, numerous foetal MRI scans were shared on Twitter after being uncovered from a project supported by Harvard Medical School.
The disconcerting images also became the subject of mockery among social media users, with some expressing that the pictures were likely to give them nightmares. While a few individuals claimed to be traumatized by such unsettling visuals, others found humor in them.
The ‘disturbing’ images eventually resurfaced on Reddit, where users humorously speculated that the foetus resembled an extraterrestrial being. Comparisons to Tim Burton’s alien movies and suggestions of the foetus being the devil’s offspring were among the comments made.
The posts gained significant traction, receiving hundreds of thousands of likes and generating widespread attention. As a result, fact-checking website Snopes conducted an investigation to determine the authenticity of the images.
Upon investigation, Snopes verified the authenticity of the pictures and interviewed a researcher from the University of Wisconsin who utilizes MRI technology for studying age-related brain changes.
The researcher affirmed that the MRI results depicted in the images appeared to be genuine and confirmed that at least two of the images were previously shared by Harvard researchers.
MRI technology employs magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed internal body images. The eyes and brain, possessing higher levels of “signal” in the form of radio waves, appear brighter and more prominent on the scans.
Conversely, other body parts emit lower levels of signal, resulting in darker appearances on the images.
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