{"product_id":"the-evolution-of-the-human-michael-l-power-9781421406435","title":"The Evolution of the Human Placenta","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePower and Schulkin reveal the amazing evolution of the human placenta--and in so doing show how each of our lives began.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the active interface of the most biologically intimate connection between two living organisms, a mother and her fetus, the placenta is crucial to human evolution and survival. Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin explore the more than 100 million years of evolution that led to the human placenta and, in so doing, they help unravel the mysteries of human life's first moments.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStarting with some of the earliest events that have influenced the path of placental evolution in mammals and progressing to the specifics of the human placenta, this book examines modern gestation within an evolutionary framework. Human beings are a successful species and our numbers have increased dramatically since our earliest days on Earth. However, human fetal development is fraught with poor outcomes for both the mother and fetus that appear to be, if not unique, far more common in humans than in other mammals. High rates of early pregnancy loss, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, preeclampsia and related maternal hypertension, and preterm birth are rare or absent in other mammals yet not unusual in humans. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePower and Schulkin explain why this apparent contradiction exists and address such topics as how the placenta regulates and coordinates the metabolism, growth, and development of both mother and fetus, the placenta's role in protecting a fetus from the mother's immune system, and placental diseases. In the process, they reveal the vital importance of this organ--which is composed mostly of fetal cells--for us as individuals and as a species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael L. Power, Jay Schulkin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1421406438\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781421406435\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Johns Hopkins University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/01\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.10lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.10w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2013","brand":"Michael L. Power","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44717515211007,"sku":"9781421406435","price":71.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_877c4c84-9499-41a8-8a7a-f8ad6945d49f.jpg?v=1705688491","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-evolution-of-the-human-michael-l-power-9781421406435","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}