Womb News and Research

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The womb is the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis. This is the organ in which a baby grows. Also called uterus.

Placenta and Hormone Levels in the Womb May Have Been Key Driver in Human Evolution, Say Researchers

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.

18 Jun 2025

Human Skin Map Gives ‘Recipe’ to Build Skin and Could Help Prevent Scarring

For the first time, researchers have created a single cell atlas of prenatal human skin to understand how skin forms, and what goes wrong in disease.

From Wellcome Sanger Institute 14 Oct 2024

Mother's Gut Microbiome Key to Baby's Brain Development

A study in mice has discovered that the presence of Bifidobacterium breve bacteria in the mother's gut during pregnancy promotes healthy brain development in the fetus.

22 Aug 2024

Spontaneous Brain Activity Drives Early Neural Circuit Formation

In humans, the process of learning is driven by different groups of cells in the brain firing together. For instance, when the neurons associated with the process of recognizing a dog begin to fire in a coordinated manner in response to the cells that encode the features of a dog -; four legs, fur, a tail, etc. -; a young child will eventually be able to identify dogs going forward. But brain wiring begins before humans are born, before they have experiences or senses like sight to guide this cellular circuitry. How does that happen?

16 Aug 2024

New Guidelines Address Ethical Concerns of Stem Cell Embryo Research in the UK

The UK’s first guidelines for research with stem cell-grown embryo models state that all studies involving these models should be overseen by a dedicated committee.

8 Jul 2024

Primitive Endoderm Stem Cells Offer New Hope for Fertility Treatments

An unexpectedly versatile and regenerative stem cell in early embryos may be key to creating new effective fertility treatments, suggests a new study in mice from the University of Copenhagen.

25 Jun 2024

New Insights into Human Embryonic Development Using Stem Cell Models

A new study using stem cell-based models has shed new light on how the human embryo begins to develop, which could one day benefit the development of fertility treatment.

3 Jun 2024

Unlocking the Secrets of Childhood Cancer Genetics

Scientists have revealed a fresh insight into the genetic pathway of childhood cancer, providing new potential for personalized treatment.

15 May 2024

Ancient Gene Holds Key to Mammalian Gliding

People say "When pigs fly" to describe the impossible. But even if most mammals are landlubbers, the ability to glide or fly has evolved again and again during mammalian evolution, in species ranging from bats to flying squirrels.

25 Apr 2024

Embryonic Cells Pressed into Organizers: Mechanism Unveiled

A collaboration between research groups at the University of California, TU Dresden in Germany and Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's in Los Angeles has identified a mechanism by which embryonic cells organize themselves to send signals to surrounding cells, telling them where to go and what to do.

4 Apr 2024

Unlocking RNA Secrets: New Method Exposes Gene Expression's Hidden Hurdles

A new study demonstrates that a method may identify, for the first time, the frequency and precise location of a molecular occurrence known as "backtracking" across the genetic material (genome) of any species.

12 Feb 2024

The Enigma of Great White Shark Births Unraveled

It is hard to imagine great white sharks as newborns. Great whites are the largest predatory sharks in the world and have the highest death toll from attacks on people. This is partly because it appears, no one has seen one in the wild until recently.

30 Jan 2024

LJI Researchers Identify Late-Rising T Cells Crucial for CMV Control

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a pathogen that likes to lurk. Most adults already carry CMV, and they show no symptoms at all.

22 Jan 2024

‘Mini-Placentas’ Help Scientists Study the Causes of Pre-eclampsia and Pregnancy Disorders

Scientists have grown ‘mini-placentas’ in the lab and used them to see how the placenta develops and interacts with the inner lining of the womb – findings that could help scientists better understand and, in future, potentially treat pre-eclampsia.

17 Jan 2024

A Pair of Force-Activated Gene Regulating Proteins Guide Fetal Bone Development

A pair of proteins, YAP and TAZ, has been identified as conductors of bone development in the womb and could provide insight into genetic diseases such as osteogenesis imperfecta, known commonly as "brittle bone disease."

5 Jan 2024

How 3D DNA Architecture Shapes Cell Fate in Early Embryos

The intricate process of duplicating genetic information, referred to as DNA replication, lies at the heart of the transmission of life from one cell to another and from one organism to the next. This happens by not just simply copying the genetic information; a well-orchestrated sequence of molecular events has to happen at the right time.

21 Dec 2023