The placenta is a unique organ which exists only during pregnancy, growing at tumour-like speed to the size of a small dinner plate. The placenta is essential to the growth of every baby, but we’re missing key details about how it develops.
Studying the placenta during pregnancy is difficult, as taking samples risks introducing infection or triggering miscarriage. And placental tissue after birth is very different from its early form.
Animal placentas are often distinct from human ones, so studying them is of limited use. Pregnancy researchers have been left in the dark on the critical early stages of placental development.
