the fetus

The Balbian body, a unique structure that organizes essential molecules in the early stages of the embryo's development, illustration: Kar at, all

The Libyan Body: Cracking the Secret of Life's Beginning

Chromosomes A Hrefhttps Depositphotoscom Illustration Depositphotoscom A

The silent competition within us: How our organs choose between mom's and dad's genes

Research conducted by the MRC Medical Sciences Laboratory reveals that cells in different organs selectively express maternal or paternal X chromosomes. This variability, which has been shown in both human data and
Illustration: depositphotos.com

The fertilized egg and its war in patriarchy

If you asked yourself why we only inherit the mitochondria from the mother, the answer is - the egg is the one that destroys the father's mitochondria very shortly after fertilization
The researchers used protein staining techniques to reveal the identity of the cells in the organoids they created. In the picture you can see four organoids of the central nervous system in the fetus, where in purple are proteins associated with the development of the front and middle brain, in green - the hindbrain, and in red - the center of the spinal cord

from the brain to the tail

Researchers from the University of Michigan and the Weizmann Institute of Science have for the first time developed a central nervous system on a chip that faithfully simulates that of the human fetus - from the end of the spinal cord to the forebrain
Mouse, rabbit and human embryos (right to left) in the same developmental stage - gastrulation (days 8-7.5 of pregnancy in rabbits and mice and around day 18 of development in humans). At this stage the human, rabbit and other vertebrate embryos are almost flat disc-shaped, while the mouse embryo is elongated cylinder-shaped. The images of the mouse and rabbit embryos were created as part of the current study, the image of the human embryo is taken from a study published in 2021 (Richard CV Tyser et al. Single-cell transcriptomic characterization of a gastrulating human embryo. Nature 600: 285-289)

In the rabbit hole

The institute's scientists developed a method that allows real-time monitoring of the development of embryos at the beginning of their journey and applied it for the first time to rabbits. The comparison they made between embryonic development in rabbits and mice gave rise to answers to fascinating questions about
The cover of the magazine ADVANCED SCIENCE and on it a study by Ben Gurion University on increasing the chances of rooting of an in vitro embryo. PR photo

Fetal siblings contribute to predicting the success of IVF

Researchers from Ben Gurion University have developed an artificial intelligence model that predicts the embryo's chances of rooting, based on information from fetal siblings from the same treatment cycle
summer pregnancy Illustration: depositphotos.com

Pioneering research: exposure to the sun - increases fertility

Exposure to the sun's UV radiation may have a positive effect on the fertility of women aged 30-40
Fertilization process illustration: depositphotos.com

Eggs from men and sperm cells from women: How stem cells may change the way we reproduce

In theory, a male skin cell can be turned into an egg and a female skin cell into a sperm cell. There is also the possibility of a child genetically connected to several parents, or only to one parent
Advanced pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New molecular discoveries on the topic of preeclampsia - in a joint study by scientists from two faculties at the Technion

Preeclampsia is a life-threatening multisystem disease and one of the main causes of maternal and fetal mortality. Its global prevalence is about 5% of pregnancies
An artificial model of a human embryo in a developmental stage corresponding to day 12. The upper elliptical structure is the part that will become an embryo including the amniotic sac above it; The lower structure is the yolk sac. The interface between the two structures is an essential element for embryonic development in humans. Both parts are surrounded by a layer of cells which will become the placenta

A human embryo without the need for a sperm egg or uterus

A pregnancy test detected the fetus in the test tube. The artificial models developed from stem cells - without egg, sperm or uterus - and grew in the laboratory until day 14
Prof. Omri Koren. Photo: Bar Ilan University Spokesperson

Antibiotics in pregnancy affect the behavior of the fetus

Prof. Omri Koren from the Faculty of Medicine won an ERC grant for his research dealing with the development of a post-biotic supplement to protect mothers and newborns
Fetal Development. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Accelerated development of neurons even in the embryonic stage can be the one that affects the development of autism

After the accelerated development, a rapid deterioration of the neurons was noted, which was manifested, among other things, in low connectivity. The study found the recurrence of the phenomenon in children with autism originating from four different types of genetic mutations
Mice. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Mice with two fathers: Scientists create eggs from male cells

The researchers behind the new study were able to create baby mice with genetic material from two males without any genetic changes. They achieved this by using stem cells to create primordial germ cells (PGCs),
pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

No change was found in the rate of spontaneous abortions in Israel during the period of the Corona epidemic

This is according to a joint study by the Technion and the University of Haifa. In the study, data was collected from 252,858 United Health Insurance policyholders between the ages of 15 and 44, for the period between January 2017 and April 2021
pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The model that will warn in advance about a pregnancy at risk

A new company, established at the Enbox Center for Entrepreneurship at Bar-Ilan University, has developed a technology for predicting pregnancy complications at the very beginning, by characterizing the microbiome (bacteria) population
Kidney cells expressing the isomo protein and in addition a fluorescent protein in the cell nucleus (in purple), adjacent to an egg expressing a fluorescent protein in the cell membrane (green) and staining the genetic material in blue.

Connection exercise - how is an embryo created?

Technion researchers in collaboration with the University of Tokyo reveal a new role for the IZUMO1 protein in the fusion process between sperm and egg
Sperm cells in the race to fertilize the egg in the uterus. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New study: 50% decrease in men's sperm count in the last 50 years all over the world

In the most comprehensive study done on the subject, it was found that sperm quality deteriorates over the years in men all over the world, including in Africa, Latin America and Asia, and that the rate of decline even increases in the 21st century * "Research
Stem cells. Image: depositphotos.com

The very first program to create an embryo by creating artificial embryonic and placental stem cells

By creating artificial embryonic and placental stem cells and comparing them, the researchers from the Hebrew University identified about 14,000 sites in the genome that control the development of all the organs of the fetus
A diagram showing the innovative approach developed in Prof. Yaakov Hana's laboratory to create an artificial model of mouse embryos from stem cells - without egg, sperm or uterus

No egg, no sperm and no uterus: Weizmann Institute of Science scientists created an artificial model of mouse embryos

The embryo model developed from stem cells that were grown outside the womb to a relatively advanced stage, showing normal development of organs and tissues
In the illustration by Prof. Luca Jovine from the Karolinska Institute, the structure of Fsx1 (right) deciphered by the researchers appears. The structure belongs to an archaeon that originated in a water environment with high salinity (represented by salt on the left)

Hypothesis: The mechanism that enables sexual reproduction was created about a billion years before its actual appearance

The Technion researchers and their colleagues abroad: It is possible that the cellular mechanisms that enable the fusion of the sperm and the egg were created as early as 3 billion years ago in single-celled organisms of the archaea type
Zebra fish. Image: depositphotos.com

Thanks to the study of zebrafish, researchers have identified a mechanism that explains fertility problems in humans

University researchers have identified a new type of organelle that has not been discovered in gametes before. According to them, a failure in its function causes infertility because it is responsible for the organization of the chromosomes in the sex cells: "The discovery advances us towards finding
Avraham holds his son Yitzchak, who was born a year after the visit of the "angels". Illustration: depositphotos.com

Things that Yoram knows: when did our ancestors discover the facts of life?

The matriarchal society of the ancient man thrived precisely because of the ignorance of the connection between sex and pregnancy and childbirth, this has changed in the last 8,000 years
Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

A chip to create a seed

A research group led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev succeeded in producing an innovative device for the process of creating sperm in culture by using a micro-flow system.
Ultrasound imaging of a four-month-old fetus. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Early signs of autism can be detected already in prenatal ultrasound

This is according to a study at the National Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research at Ben Gurion University
A baby born by forceps is lying in an incubator. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New study: Is forceps birth really dangerous?

In recent years, doctors and obstetricians prefer to perform a caesarean section instead of trying a forceps or vacuum delivery, due to the fear of brain or physical damage, or the development of severe morbidity after birth. At the same time, studies decrease
Prof. Eli Keshet. Photo: Keren A.M.N.

Prof. Eli Keshet, Hebrew, winner of the Israel Prize in the field of life sciences research

In its reasoning, the committee stated that: "The Israel Prize in the field of life sciences research for the year 2018 is awarded to Prof. Eli Keshet, from the Hebrew University, for his pioneering contributions in understanding the mechanism by which oxygen-deficient conditions stimulate the growth of
Summer pregnancy. Illustration: shutterstock

The connection between the flu vaccine in pregnancy and autism in the offspring has been ruled out

A flu vaccine during pregnancy protects the children and women from illness, but does it also have long-term risks? A decade-long follow-up study refutes this.
Diagram of the spatial interaction between the DNA control regions and the controlled genes. The "reporters" (in red and green) reveal these interactions. The laboratory of Dr. Yonatan Stanzler, Weizmann Institute

A cell following its fate

A mouse embryo and the genetically engineered placenta that feeds it. programmed for anorexic behavior. Photo: Weizmann Institute

programmed from birth

Dr. Ravaki Ophir's stem cell laboratory, Ben Gurion University. Public relations photo

New fertility treatment for women and men

Illustration: pixabay.

Fatal exposure in pregnancy

Illustration: pixabay.

The placenta is the first organ of the fetus

Photomicrograph of the formation of the abdominal midline. The middle nest is marked by the intracellular protein laminin (in red, see white arrow). The cells (colored green) migrate towards the midline but do not cross it

the starting line

Caution: prenatal gene scan

Fetal Development. Illustration: shutterstock

Embryonic development and quantum optics

sperm and egg cells. Illustration: shutterstock

Too dense speech

The different location of different opsins on a human sperm cell, as seen under a microscope, revealed by fluorescent antibody labeling (in bright yellow)

Sperm cells navigate their way using vision proteins

Inara Prusakova/Shutterstock

On the agenda - why fetuses should not be out of bounds