(American Institute of Physics) A new microfluidics innovation shows hope to improve artificial placentas so preterm newborns can properly develop lungs following birth. An international team demonstrated the new technique to construct microchannels with a more efficient gas exchange between infant blood and air. The improved design uses both sides of the membrane for gas exchange; the group used this design to develop a prototype that oxygenates blood through a thin membrane. They report their findings in Biomicrofluidics.