Approximately 490,000 children are born around the world every day. Approximately 11,000 babies are born every day in the United States alone, which means at least eight babies are born every minute. Regardless of whether a pregnancy is planned or not, a child's size, physical characteristics and intellectual abilities are predetermined by the chromosomes that combine in the mother during fertilization. The possibility and probability that a child will have a certain number of genetic diseases is also determined by the genes and the fertilized embryo. In 1967, however, a study by British scientists Robert Edwards and David Gardner paved the way for a life-altering scientific program, now known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD (Jha, 1). Edwards initially became interested in and began researching couples with infertility problems while attending the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm in the 1950s. Previous studies had shown that rabbit eggs could also be fertilized outside the body. It was shown that if sperm were mixed with eggs in an appropriate environment, embryos could develop successfully without the need for another living system. With this knowledge, Edwards took it upon himself to continue research at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, where he eventually discovered that it was possible to fertilize human eggs outside the uterus. The first human embryo successfully fertilized outside the human body was documented in 1969, followed by the birth of the first “test tube” baby, Louise Brown, in 1978. Just two years later, the world's first IVF center , known as the Bourne Hall Clinic, was founded by Edwards and Eng...... middle of the paper ...... aby, please. Blonde, Freckles - Keep Colic - WSJ.com." Business News and Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. Web. November 18, 2011. "PGD - Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) - Genetic Testing." HFEA - Fertility, Infertility, In Vitro Fertilization, Embryo Research - Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority. Web. 20 December 2011. .Silverman, Rachel Emma. "Designer Babies: Choosing Your Baby's Traits - The Juggle - WSJ. " WSJ Blog - WSJ. Web. November 18, 2011. .Staff, Wsj. "Could Breakfast Cereal Help You Have a Boyfriend? - The Juggle - WSJ." WSJ Blog - WSJ. Web. November 18. 2011. .