Less than 1% of abortions take place in the third trimester – here’s why people get them

The reasons why people may seek out late-term abortions are complex and are often based on new medical information and delays caused by state policies.

Katrina Kimport, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
May 17, 2022 ~5 min

Male and female fetuses respond differently to COVID-19

A new study finds that placentas of male and female fetuses respond very differently when a mother is infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy.

Anita Slomski and Timothy Gower • harvard
Oct. 19, 2021 ~4 min


Specialized cells maintain healthy pregnancy by teaching the mother's immune system not to attack developing fetus

How the immune system learns not to attack a developing fetus and placenta is important to understanding pregnancy and its common complications, like miscarriage.

Tippi MacKenzie, Professor of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
Aug. 25, 2021 ~5 min

Blowholes are like nostrils that migrate in utero

The cetacean blowhole is a unique kind of nasal passage: It rises at an angle relative to the roof of the mouth and exits at the top of the head.

James Urton-U. Washington • futurity
Aug. 9, 2021 ~8 min

Lab–grown embryos and human–monkey hybrids: Medical marvels or ethical missteps?

Researchers have grown the first human-monkey hybrid embryos as well as mouse embryos in artificial wombs late into development. These biomedical breakthroughs raise different ethical quandaries.

Sahotra Sarkar, Professor of Philosophy and Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts • conversation
April 22, 2021 ~9 min

Pregnancy during a pandemic: The stress of COVID-19 on pregnant women and new mothers is showing

Born into a coronavirus world: how new parents and infants can stay safe.

Elinor Sullivan, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University • conversation
Sept. 23, 2020 ~9 min

How does a baby 'breathe' while inside its mom?

A fetus needs oxygen long before its lungs work and it's exposed to the air. Some ingenious biochemistry explains how the mother's blood delivers it.

Julie Pollock, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond • conversation
May 5, 2020 ~6 min

1 enzyme is key for successful fertilization

One enzyme may determine whether human development starts correctly. The discovery could help explain why some fertilization fails.

Mathias Traczyk-Copenhagen • futurity
April 3, 2020 ~3 min


Zika vaccine shields fetus in pregnant monkeys

The first test of a Zika vaccine given before conception could support development of another vaccine in early trials in humans.

Andy Fell-UC Davis • futurity
Dec. 19, 2019 ~5 min

Fetuses can detect light earlier than we thought

The developing eyes of a fetus can detect light far earlier than previously thought, according to new research.

Robert Sanders-UC Berkeley • futurity
Nov. 26, 2019 ~5 min

/

2