Life's Vital Link: The astonishing role of the placenta
Condition: SECONDHAND
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The development of the placenta was a pivotal event in evolution. Without it, we would still be laying eggs instead of giving birth to live offspring. It represents the critical link between the foetus and the mother, but its character is extraordinary - it is, in effect, a foreign tissue that invades the mother's body. Compared to many other animals, the human placenta represents a particularly aggressive body. But how is it managed and controlled? How did such an
organ evolve in the first place? And why is it tolerated by the mother? Y.W. Loke, a highly respected expert in the placenta and its development, explores the nature of the placenta and what it can
tell us about evolution, development, and genetics.
Author: Y.W. Loke (Emeritus Professor of Reproductive Immunology, University of Cambridge and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge)
Format: Hardback, 276 pages, 150mm x 222mm, 468 g
Published: 2013, Oxford University Press, United Kingdom
Genre: Popular Science
Description
The development of the placenta was a pivotal event in evolution. Without it, we would still be laying eggs instead of giving birth to live offspring. It represents the critical link between the foetus and the mother, but its character is extraordinary - it is, in effect, a foreign tissue that invades the mother's body. Compared to many other animals, the human placenta represents a particularly aggressive body. But how is it managed and controlled? How did such an
organ evolve in the first place? And why is it tolerated by the mother? Y.W. Loke, a highly respected expert in the placenta and its development, explores the nature of the placenta and what it can
tell us about evolution, development, and genetics.
Life's Vital Link: The astonishing role of the placenta