Approximately five days post fertilization (dpf), the blastocyst develops. The inner cell mass gives rise to the fetus, while the surrounding trophectoderm transforms into the placenta. After ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Researchers studying embryonic stem cells have explored the first fork in the developmental road, getting a new look at what happens when fertilized eggs differentiate to build ...

We have all had one, and we owe our lives to it. It’s the first organ to develop and it simultaneously serves as the lungs, kidneys, immune system, and digestive tract, to name a few, in a fetus while ...

Joshua Rapp Learn is an award-winning D.C.-based science journalist who frequently writes for Discover Magazine, covering topics about archaeology, wildlife, paleontology, space and other topics. View ...

Maternal stress could leave epigenetic imprints on genes in the placenta associated with cortisol -- a necessary hormone for fetal development -- and this would affect the baby's development from very ...

Scientists demonstrate the direct transmission of bisphenol A (BPA) from a mother to her developing child via the placenta could negatively impact fetal brain development. In a new study, scientists ...

An enzyme made famous by the COVID-19 pandemic plays an unsung role in healthy placenta development during pregnancy, ...

AS WE emerged into the world as newborns, each of us lost something important: a body part that had provided us with oxygen and nutrients, removed waste products and kept pathogens at bay. What became ...