How does nature nurture your newborn?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Plant life in cities improves our health. But could it also make an impact… in the womb?
Enter Mengyi Li and team from the University of California Irvine. They scoured health records of over two hundred THOUSAND births. Researchers matched healthy births with plant species richness based on the mothers’ neighborhoods.
Results? Having more diverse plants around meant a lower risk of premature births. This could be because of air quality, shade, and the sense of wellbeing greenery provides.
So let’s stroll down to the community park! Wait, I can’t be here? Just ‘cause I don’t LIVE in the community? Man, nature’s exclusive.
Reference: Mengyi Li, Qiping Fan, Yi Sun, Tarik Benmarhnia, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, Anqi Jiao, John Molitor, David A. Sacks, Jeff M. Slezak, Vicki Y. Chiu, Chantal C. Avila, Darios Getahun, Jun Wu, nPlant species richness, green spaces, and preterm birth risk in urban areas, Environment International, Volume 202, 2025, 109644, ISSN 0160-4120, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109644.