14 DEC 2011 by ideonexus
If Birds Studied Man
Let us only imagine that birds had studied their own development and that it was they in turn who investigated the structure of the adult mammal and of man. Wouldn't their physiological textbooks teach the following? 'Those four and two-legged animals bear many resemblances to embryos, for their cranial bones are separated, and they have no beak, just as we do in the first live or six days of incubation; their extremities are all very much alike, as ours are for about the same period; there i... 1 
notes
notesAn insightful way of looking at our prejudices.
16 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Human Fetuses Develop Useless Hair
One of my favorite cases of embryological evidence for evolution is
the furry human fetus. We are famously known as “naked apes” because,
unlike other primates, we don’t have a thick coat of hair. But in fact
for one brief period we do—as embryos. Around sixth months after conception, we become completely covered with a fine, downy coat of
hair called lanugo. Lanugo is usually shed about a month before birth,
when it’s replaced by the more sparsely distributed hair with which we’r... 1 notes
notesThat appears at the same time in development as it does in Chimpanzees, but then vanishes.
28 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Three Characteristics of Stress to Avoid in Pregnancy
Researchers have isolated three toxic types. Their common characteristic: that you feel out of control over the bad stuff coming at you. As stress moves from moderate to severe, and from acute to chronic, this loss of control turns catastrophic and begins to affect baby. Here are the bad types of stress:
• Too frequent. Chronic, unrelenting stress during pregnancy hurts baby brain development. The stress doesn’t necessarily have to be severe. The poison is sustained, long-term exposu... 1 notes
notesFrequency, severity, and individual temperaments determine how much stress a person can experience while pregnant and have it affect the health of their baby.
27 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
The Development of the Human Brain
Two types of cells are important here. The first type, glial cells, make up 90 percent of the brain cells inside your child’s head. They give the brain its structure and help the neurons correctly process information. It’s a good name; glial is a Greek word for glue. The second type of cell is the familiar neuron. Though they do a lot of your child’s thinking, neurons make up only about 10 percent of the total number of brain cells. That’s probably where we get the myth that you us... 1 notes
notesA fascinating description of a process that begins before birth and continues into our 20s.
27 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
The Wonder of the Fertilized Egg
The opening cast members of the baby-making play are simply a sperm and an egg and a saucy Marvin Gaye song. Once these two cells are joined, they begin producing lots of cells in a small space. The human embryo soon looks like a tiny mulberry. (Indeed, one early development stage is called the morula, Latin for mulberry.) Your mulberry’s first decision is practical: It has to decide what part becomes baby’s body and what part becomes baby’s shelter. This happens quickly. Certain cel...Folksonomies: wonder fetal development
Folksonomies: wonder fetal development
1 notes
notesThe process will produce a human brain from a single cell.
20 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
The Importance of Tactile Experience in Infants
Nonetheless, our early touch experiences determine the extent of possible tactile sensitivity. They also play a surprisingly potent role in the overall quality of brain development. We have already seen in Chapter 2 how rats raised in a highly enriched environment develop a thicker cerebral cortex and are actually cleverer than rats raised in a standard laboratory environment. A good share of this enriching experience involves tactile sensation. When young rats are provided with new toys, the...
1 Rats provided with a variety of constantly changed toys to play with and those touched by their mothers have larger brains and are more cognitively prepared for the world.
20 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
The Importance of Smell and Taste in Infant Development
Olfactory recognition may also be the first step toward human bonding and attachment. As we've seen, newborns quickly learn and prefer the scent of their own mother or other caretaker. Nursing babies clearly have the richest olfactory experience, being bathed several times a day in the odors of their mother's milk and areolar secretions. Nonetheless, bottle-fed babies also can learn their parents' scents rather rapidly, depending on the amount and closeness of their contact. After the breast,...
1 Smell allows an infant to label its world, identifying its mother, father, and siblings; while taste prepares it for the environment it will be born into and influence its preferences for foods within its culture.
20 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Kangaroo Care and Infant Massage
In the old days, extensive parental contact was discouraged because of fears about injury or infection. Now, however, some hospitals are encouraging parents to spend up to several hours a day holding their preterm infants, preferably upright and skin-to-skin against their bare chest. This approach has been dubbed "kangaroo care" because of its resemblance to early-life marsupials, which are born prematurely but kept warm and nourished in the maternal pouch.
Studies have shown several advant...A technique for helping a preterm infant to regulate their body heat and a daily exercise for stimulating the infant to improve its cognition and responsiveness.
20 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Health Benefits of a Vaginal Birth
Of its several advantages, "birtn stress" has been found to be especially beneficial for a newborn's breathing. Compared with babies born by C'Section, vaginally delivered babies are quicker to take their first breaths; their blood oxygen levels rise more rapidly after birth; and they are less likely to suffer any of a number of respiratory problems in the first few hours of life. Even among babies delivered by C-section, those who undergo several hours of labor before delivery do much better... 1 notes
notesThe contractions and stress of being pushed through the birth canal give these babies a leg up in many physiological, and possibly cognitive, respects.
19 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Exercise During Pregnancy
There are two main reasons for concern about exercising during pregnancy. One is that it may reduce the baby's oxygen supply, since exercise, like other sources of stress, reduces blood flow to the uterus. Another risk is overheating. As we have already seen, fetal development is highly sensitive to temperature, and elevations of more than 2^0 C (or above 1020F) can increase the risk of miscarriage and affect the formation of the brain and eyes.
Despite these theoretical concerns, there is ...There are some concerns about the mother exercising during pregnancy, but the benefits appear to outweight the potential deleterious effects and have no apparent effect on the child's IQ.
