Placenta and hormone levels in the womb may have been key drivers in human brain evolution

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals the diversity of trophoblast subtypes and patterns of differentiation in the human placenta

The placenta is crucial for a successful pregnancy and the health of both the fetus and the pregnant woman. However, how the human trophoblast lineage is regulated, including the categorization of the placental cell subtypes is poorly understood. Here we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on sorted placental cells from first- and second-trimester human placentas. New subtypes of cells of the known cytotrophoblast cells (CTBs), extrav…

Placenta and prenatal hormones may drive human brain evolution

The placenta and the hormones it produces may have played a crucial role in the evolution of the human brain, while also leading to the behavioral traits that have made human societies able to thrive and expand, according to a new hypothesis proposed by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

Placenta hormones may have driven human brain evolution

Cambridge and Oxford researchers propose the placenta drove human evolution by shaping our large, social brains.

Placenta and hormone levels in the womb may have been key drivers in human brain evolution

The placenta and the hormones it produces may have played a crucial role in the evolution of the human brain, while also leading to the behavioral traits that have made human societies able to thrive and expand, according to a new hypothesis proposed by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

Hormones produced in pregnancy may have been crucial to human brain evolution, researchers say

New Delhi, June 20 (PTI) Sex hormones produced during pregnancy may have played a crucial role in human brain development, possibly by leading to behaviours that enabled societies to thrive and expand, researchers say.Sex hormones, such as testosterone or oestrogen, are steroid-based and help with reproduction and developing body features specific to a gender. During pregnancy, sex hormones are produced in the placenta."The placenta regulates th…