Birth Defects

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Holoprosencephaly occurs when the forebrain of the embryo fails to develop correctly. Normally, the forebrain is formed and the face starts to grow between the 5-6 weeks of pregnancy. When the embryo’s forebrain fails to split to form the right and left sections of the brain, it leads to developmental problems in the brain structure and face.

Cyclopia is a condition where a baby has a single eye. The single eye is found where the nose should be. The nose may be missing or it may be present as proboscis located above the eye.

“Harlequin ichthyosis” is a genetic mutation that affects the formation of skin cells, resulting in a hardening of the skin. Afflicted infants are covered in plated skin that is separated into diamonds by blood-red fissures. The condition deforms the infant’s eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, and is known to cause severe dehydration. The hardened skin also makes it difficult to move or breath.

Children born with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva have uncontrolled bone growth. Their bodies spontaneously ossify, meaning that soft tissues are slowly replaced with hard, inflexible bone.

Surgery to remove the excess bone is impossible, as any incisions made on the patient will heal over as bone and create more damage. Any injuries also put the victim at risk of increasing the rate of ossification.

One child out of 2 million is afflicted with this disease, which appears to be an attempt by the body to form an exoskeleton. Grey aliens have an exoskeleton.