How Life BeginsFrom the moment of fertilization until the day of birth, the extraordinary life of a fetus is chronicled in this awe-inspiring volume drawn from the latest in pre-natal research. "How Life Begins, taking advantage of the relatively recent advent of ultrasound technology and other imaging techniques, offers a month-by-month guide to what a developing baby is seeing, hearing, dreaming about, and how it is accomplishing the miracle of preparing to be human. Readers will discover: How a fetus's eye movements work to "boot up" the computer that is its brain How the hands and feet commit programmed suicide to create fingers and What role genetics plays in determining an infant's sexual identity and personality How the baby becomes the choreographer of the mother's labor, and the director of his or her own birth Interviews with leading researchers combine with truly remarkable photography to make "How Life Begins an unforgettable journey marking the passage from single cell to bright-eyed baby. |
Contents
BIRTH | 3 |
SEX AND THE SINGLE CELL | 16 |
WHOS WALKING WHOM? | 46 |
Copyright | |
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able Accutane activity adults amniotic fluid amniotic sac animals baby baby's bacteria become begins behavior birth blood bloodstream body born boys breathing called cervix chemical child chromosome connections contractions cord create doctors dreams embryo estrogen eyes fallopian tubes feel female fertilization fetal fetus folding genes genetic gestation girls grow growth happens heart homeobox human hypothalamus identical twins immune system infants intestines labor layer limbs look lungs male molecules mother movement Müllerian duct muscles natural killer cells nerve cells nerve signals neural neurons newborn organs oxygen oxytocin parents percent placenta preembryo preemie preg pregnancy premature prenatal progesterone proteins pups release REM sleep result scientists seems sexual shape skin sounds sperm stress hormones suppressor cells surfactant survive tiny tion tissue trimester uterus week after LMP womb women Y chromosome yolk sac