Approximately 490,000 babies are born every day around the world. About 11,000 babies are born every day in the United States alone, which means at least eight babies are born every minute. Whether a pregnancy is planned or not, a baby's size, physical characteristics and intellectual abilities are predetermined by the chromosomes that combine in the mother during fertilization. The possibility and likelihood of a baby having a number of genetic diseases is also determined by the genes and the fertilized embryo. However, in 1967, a study by British scientists Robert Edwards and David Gardner paved the way for a life-changing scientific program now known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD (Jha, 1). couples suffering from infertility problems while attending the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm in the 1950s. Previously, studies had proven that it was possible for rabbit eggs to be fertilized outside the body. It has been shown that if sperm were mixed with eggs in a suitable environment, the embryos could develop successfully without the need for another living system. Armed with this knowledge, Edwards decided to continue his research at the National Institute of Medical Research in London, where he eventually discovered that it was also possible for human eggs to be fertilized outside the uterus. The first human embryo to be successfully fertilized outside the human body was documented in 1969, followed by the birth of the first "test tube" baby, Louise Brown, in 1978. Two years later, the first in vitro fertilization center in the world , known as the Bourne Hall Clinic, was founded by Edwards and Eng...... middle of paper ......aby, please. Blonde, Freckles - Hold the Colic - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. Web. November 18, 2011. "PGD - Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) - Genetics Tests." HFEA - Fertility, Infertility, IVF, Embryo Research - Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority Web December 20, 2011. .Silverman, Rachel Emma. from WSJ. - WSJ Web. November 18, 2011. .Staff, Wsj. "Can Breakfast Cereal Help You Have a Boy?" WSJ Blogs - WSJ. Web. November 18. 2011. .