The study published online in the journal Nature Biotechnology, on Sunday, revealed that the survival of human embryos can be determined.

In the research, 242 frozen, one-cell embryos were analyzed by the Stanford researchers. After the fertilization of the embryos, their development stages were recorded for five days through videos in the form of photographs taken at a five-minute interval.

The photos depicted the formation of a blastocyst from the process of first cell division. A blastocyst is a cluster of cells that turns into a fetus. With an accuracy rate of 93%, the researchers analyzed that newly fertilized eggs transform into blastocysts, while others were likely to die before they turned into blastocysts.

The findings of the study could prove beneficial for women, who want to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization. The specialists would be able to detect embryos after two or three days of fertilization, which could lead to failed pregnancies.

Renee Reijo Pera, an author of the study said, "We could reduce adverse effects. We could reduce these multiple births and increase the chance of a single baby birth. And we could reduce miscarriages".

The funding for the study came from various sources, including the March of Dimes and the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology, as the Federal funds cannot be used for such studies.