About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherOxford University Press, Incorporated

ISBN-100199694524

ISBN-139780199694525

eBay Product ID (ePID)242899289

Product Key Features

Number of Pages276 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameLife's Vital Link : the Astonishing Role of the Placenta

Publication Year2018

SubjectLife Sciences / Biology, Perinatology & Neonatology

TypeTextbook

AuthorY. W. Loke

Subject AreaScience, Medical

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.7 in

Item Weight7.5 Oz

Item Length7.7 in

Item Width5.1 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2013-427806

ReviewsA surprisingly delightful book. Accessible enough for a general readership, Loke's work provides the key to a truly unique world.

Dewey Edition23

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal612.63

Table Of Content1. After the Afterbirth2. In the Beginning3. The Principal Players4. Parental Tug-o-War5. Connecting with Mother6. Nature's Transplant7. Products8. Gateway9. Journey's EndGlossaryEndnotesIndex

SynopsisThe 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 explores the nature of the placenta and what it can tell us about evolution, development, and genetics., How is it possible that a party foreign body can invade your tissues, avoiding attack by your immune system, establish access to your bloodstream, and even influence your brain? Even one of us has benefited from just such a parasite, and every mother has experienced it. Because that parasite is the placenta. One of the most ingenious adaptations, the mammalian placenta is the result of 300 million years of evolution. Its cunning ways of growing-cancer like, yet controlled-and camouflaging itself against the defence systems of the host are only just being worked out. This is the story of an astonishing and unique organ, which allows us to grow towards individuality, but also ensures that we are never completely separate: we all carry a tiny bit of Mother within us. Book jacket., 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 explores the nature of the placenta and what it can tell us about evolution, development, and genetics., How does the foetus - a foreign body - survive inside the mother? The placenta is the extraordinary organ that allows this to happen; but this remarkable feat of evolution is only just being fully appreciated by science. Y.W. Loke explores the fascinating nature of the placenta and what it can tell us about evolution, development, and genetics.

LC Classification NumberQP281