A child is born

Hi,

Swedish photographer, Lennart Nilsson, spent 12 years of his life taking pictures of the foetus developing in the womb. These incredible photographs were taken with conventional cameras with macro lenses, an endoscope and scanning electron microscope. Nilsson used a magnification of hundreds of thousands and worked right in the womb. His first photo of the human foetus was taken in 1965.

6 months.
There are still 8-10 weeks ahead, so the little human is getting ready to leave the uterus. It turns upside down because it will be easier to be born this way

26 weeks

20 weeks: Approximately 20 cm. Woolly hair, known as lanugo, covers the entire head

19 weeks

8 weeks: Approximately 14 cm. The foetus can now perceive sounds from the outside world

The skeleton consists mainly of flexible cartilage.
A network of blood vessels is visible through the thin skin.

16 weeks.
The foetus uses its hands to explore its own body and its surroundings.

10 weeks.
The eyelids are semi-shut. They will close completely in a few days.

Eight weeks.
The rapidly-growing embryo is well protected in the foetal sac.

40 days.
Embryonic cells form the placenta. This organ connects the embryo to the uterine wall allowing nutrient uptake, waste elimination and gas exchange via the woman's blood supply.

5 weeks: Approximately 9 mm. You can now distinguish the face with holes for eyes, nostrils and mouth.

four and half weeks

four weeks

The brain starts to develop in the human embryo.

8 days.
The human embryo is attached to a wall of the uterus.

5-6 days.
The clump has developed into an embryo, containing many more cells,
and has entered the womb

The winning sperm

The fallopian tube

Will they have a date?

An egg

Sperm in the fallopian tube

The miracle of a baby!

Cheers

A Biologist's Mother's Day Song

Hi,

Here is something you should send to your mother in appreciation of all that she had given you.
It is a belated mother's day gift.



Much to my surprise, some people have requested the mp3--now you can get it here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cadamole (it's the first song)

Lyrics:
To make one me you just add
Half of mom and half of dad
That is what I once believed
But I know now that I was wrong
I got so much more from you mom
Than just half a set of genes
I got nutrients and transcription factors
and nearly everything that matters
plus my prenatal environment (transplacental inheritance)
mRNA, mitochondria,
That back in the day once belonged to ya (they're cytoplasmic)
and I just want to thank for supplying them

Just like two strands of DNA are spirally entwined
Your nature and your nurture are inspiringly combined
Scientists remind me and I find that it is true
Slightly more than half of everything I am is thanks to you

Mitochondria power my cells
and they have DNA as well
Transcription factors modulate transcription
And since they're in the cytoplasm
The eggs the only one that has em
and sperm I guess they don't have much ambition

My sex determination gene means that I'm a guy
From you I got my X chromosome, from Dad I got my Y
X has over a thousand genes, Y has less than 92
That's why more than half of everything I am is thanks to you

I roomed in your womb for nine whole months and never paid the rent
Your glucocorticoids shaped my hypothalmic development
I took in your blood and sucked it dry of every nutrient (its gross but true)
Sometimes I wonder where the time went (where did it go)
Sometimes I wonder where it went

I know Ill never understand all you have done for me (I'm not that smart)
But since you paid for college Ill get my B. S. degree (bachelor of science)
And I have learned its not BS but absolutely true
Slightly more than half of everything I am is thanks to you.

Cheers