WORLD’S OLDEST BABY BORN FROM 30-YEAR-OLD EMBRYO

A U.S. couple has welcomed a baby from an embryo frozen for over 30 years setting a new record. Born on 26 July, Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was adopted as an embryo by Ohio parents Lindsey and Tim Pierce from the biological mother, who preserved it in 1994.

The embryo was transferred to Lindsey in November 2024. Remarkably, Tim was just a toddler when it was created, and Thaddeus has a 30-year-old biological sister with her own child.

“He is so chill. We are in awe that we have this precious baby,” Lindsey told MIT Technology Review. The match was made through Nightlight Christian Adoptions, an embryo adoption agency.

The biological mother, Linda Archerd, created four embryos via IVF in the 1990s but only used one, resulting in her now-adult daughter. After separating from her husband and reaching menopause, she chose embryo adoption over donation to science or anonymous transfer. “The first thing I noticed is how much he looks like my daughter when she was a baby,” said Linda, 62.

While embryos frozen for 27-30 years have resulted in births before, such cases are rare due to storage concerns. Dr. John Gordon, who facilitated the transfer, runs the faith-based Rejoice Fertility Clinic to reduce stored embryos globally. Millions remain frozen from IVF procedures.