Mammals that give birth to live young may have evolved to make use of the remnants of viruses in their genomes to ward off pathogens, a study suggests. 

An epigenome-wide association study found more than a dozen methylation changes in placental DNA that correlated with expectant mothers’ self-reports of depression and stress during their pregnancy.

Male placentas produce more proinflammatory molecules than female placentas, while people carrying male fetuses produce fewer antibodies in response to infection, a study finds.

Researchers identify live bacteria in fetal guts, skin, lungs, and placentas that activate memory T cells, indicating that early exposure to microbes could help educate the developing immune system.

Researchers integrated information from 45 protein, metabolite, and immune data points to identify a window two to four weeks before a pregnant person will go into labor.

A case study finds SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in placental cord blood after maternal vaccination.

Transcripts circulating in the blood provide real-time information about maternal, fetal, and placental health.

Researchers find connective tissue has a crucial role to play in whether cancer cells metastasize.

Trophoblasts, collected from the mother during a blood draw, can determine fetal genetic abnormalities currently diagnosed through amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling.

The authors of a new study find no evidence for bacteria in the placenta, but others in the field question their interpretation of the data.

He established the San Diego Zoo’s cryopreserved Frozen Zoo.

Complications during pregnancy may act via the placenta to magnify the effects of genetic risk factors.

A small, placenta-produced peptide fixes the pregnancy-related condition in mice. 

Placentas from mice with genetically distinct immune systems, stained to highlight differences in three proteins, representing the nucleus (blue), blood vessels (red), and trophoblasts (green)

The lungs of extremely premature lambs supported in a closed, sterile environment that enables fluid-based gas exchange grow and develop normally, researchers report.

An endogenous retrovirus that supports placenta formation in females also helps male mice build muscle, according to a study.

Placental macrophages called Hofbauer cells are particularly vulnerable to infection by the virus, a study shows.

Certain immune cells surrounding the organ appear to block viral entry.