Far more women die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth in the United States than in other industrialized countries – a grim reality that has only worsened since the start of the pandemic. Although this alarming trend is well known, scientists have not had a clear picture of who is most at risk – and in what regions of the U.S. – until now.

In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation reported that Black women experienced higher maternal deaths every year from 1999 to 2019 than any other racial group. What’s more, they found that maternal mortality more than doubled in the U.S. during that 20-year period throughout the country across racial and ethnic groups, including among white mothers. Risk of maternal death rose the most in American Indian and Alaska Native populations and increased by more than 162% in certain states.

Even more alarming is that most of those deaths are deemed preventable, the authors write. “In the U.S., maternal deaths are most often caused by problems that have very effective treatments.”

Also in this week’s science news:

Amanda Mascarelli

Senior Health and Medicine Editor
Maternal death rates are higher in the U.S. than in other high-income countries. Tetra Images/Getty Images

Risk of death related to pregnancy and childbirth more than doubled between 1999 and 2019 in the US, new study finds

Laura Fleszar, University of Washington; Allison Bryant Mantha, Harvard University; Catherine O. Johnson, University of Washington; Greg Roth, University of Washington

Black women died during or soon after pregnancy at higher rates than any other racial group in every year from 1999 to 2019. American Indian and Alaska Native women had the greatest increase in risk during this period.
It’s tempting to envision orcas attacking yachts as the forward troops in an animal uprising. Jackson Roberts/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Memes about animal resistance are everywhere — here’s why you shouldn’t laugh off rebellious orcas and sea otters too quickly

Alexandra Isfahani-Hammond, University of California, San Diego

A few marine mammals in apparent revolt pushed meme-makers into overdrive. But a scholar who thinks about justice and human-animal relations suggests something deeper is behind the schadenfreude.
Female pearl octopus nest at the Octopus Garden off California. Credit: © 2019 MBARI

Secrets of an octopus’s garden: Moms nest at thermal springs to give their young the best chance for survival

Amanda Kahn, San José State University; Jim Barry, San José State University

Thousands of pearl octopuses were discovered in 2018 lining thermal vents near a deep-sea volcano. Researchers now know why octopus moms gather there.

Seeing what the naked eye can’t − 4 essential reads on how scientists bring the microscopic world into plain sight

Vivian Lam, The Conversation

Visualization is an essential part of the scientific process. Advances in imaging have enabled eye-opening discoveries, not only for scientists and researchers but also for the general public.

Can coffee or a nap make up for sleep deprivation? A psychologist explains why there’s no substitute for shut-eye

Kimberly Fenn, Michigan State University

While a cup of joe or a brief nap during an all-nighter might help you feel a little more alert, it won’t offset cognitive impairments from sleep deprivation when you’re performing complex tasks.

New data reveal US space economy’s output is shrinking – an economist explains in 3 charts

Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University

With commercial space tourism on the rise and NASA planning to return to the Moon, you might think the US space economy is booming – but the data paint a more complex picture.

Geoengineering sounds like a quick climate fix, but without more research and guardrails, it’s a costly gamble − with potentially harmful results

David Kitchen, University of Richmond

Some geoengineering techniques are better understood than others. The US is investing in capturing carbon dioxide from the air, but ideas to block the Sun’s rays are raising big concerns.

As the mental health crisis in children and teens worsens, the dire shortage of mental health providers is preventing young people from getting the help they need

Steven Berkowitz, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Millions of young people in the US are suffering, whether from abuse at home, pressure from social media or exposure to violence. But navigating the mental health care system can be disheartening.

A carbon tax on investment income could be more fair and make it less profitable to pollute – a new analysis shows why

Jared Starr, UMass Amherst

Taxing consumption that contributes to climate change hits the poor the hardest, while overlooking the huge profits tied to greenhouse gas emissions.