After drawing its first breath, every newborn mammal turns his or her complete attention to obtaining milk. This primal act was once thought to stem from a basic fact: milk provides the initial source of calories and nutrients for all mammalian young. But it turns out that milk is a much more complicated biochemical cocktail and provides benefits beyond nutrition. In this fascinating book, biologists Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin reveal this liquid's evolutionary history and show how its ingredients have changed over many millions of years to become a potent elixir. Power and Schulkin walk readers through the early origins of the mammary gland and describe the incredible diversification of milk among the various mammalian lineages. After revealing the roots of lactation, the authors describe the substances that naturally occur in milk and discuss their biological functions. They reveal that mothers pass along numerous biochemical signals to their babies through milk. The authors explain how milk boosts an infant's immune system, affects an infant's metabolism and physiology, and helps inoculate and feed the baby's gut microbiome. Throughout the book, the authors weave in stories from studies of other species, explaining how comparative research sheds light on human lactation. The authors then turn their attention to the fascinating topic of cross-species milk consumption-something only practiced by certain humans who evolved an ability to retain lactase synthesis into adulthood. The first book to discuss milk from a comparative and evolutionary perspective, Power and Schulkin's masterpiece reveals the rich biological story of the common thread that connects all mammals.

In this sweeping exploration of the relatively recent obesity epidemic, Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin probe evolutionary biology, history, physiology, and medical science to uncover the causes of our growing girth. The unexpected answer? Our own evolutionary success. For most of the past few million years, our evolutionary ancestors' survival depended on being able to consume as much as possible when food was available and to store the excess energy for periods when it was scarce. In the developed world today, high-calorie foods are readily obtainable, yet the propensity to store fat is part of our species' heritage, leaving an increasing number of the world's people vulnerable to obesity. In an environment of abundant food, we are anatomically, physiologically, metabolically, and behaviorally programmed in a way that makes it difficult for us to avoid gaining weight. Power and Schulkin's engagingly argued book draws on popular examples and sound science to explain our expanding waistlines and to discuss the consequences of being overweight for different demographic groups. They review the various studies of human and animal fat use and storage, including those that examine fat deposition and metabolism in men and women; chronicle cultural differences in food procurement, preparation, and consumption; and consider the influence of sedentary occupations and lifestyles. A compelling and comprehensive examination of the causes and consequences of the obesity epidemic, The Evolution of Obesity offers fascinating insights into the question, Why are we getting fatter?

As the active interface of the most biologically intimate connection between two living organisms, a mother and her fetus, the placenta is crucial to human evolution and survival. Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin explore the more than 100 million years of evolution that led to the human placenta and, in so doing, they help unravel the mysteries of human life's first moments.

Starting with some of the earliest events that have influenced the path of placental evolution in mammals and progressing to the specifics of the human placenta, this book examines modern gestation within an evolutionary framework. Human beings are a successful species and our numbers have increased dramatically since our earliest days on Earth. However, human fetal development is fraught with poor outcomes for both the mother and fetus that appear to be, if not unique, far more common in humans than in other mammals. High rates of early pregnancy loss, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, preeclampsia and related maternal hypertension, and preterm birth are rare or absent in other mammals yet not unusual in humans.

Power and Schulkin explain why this apparent contradiction exists and address such topics as how the placenta regulates and coordinates the metabolism, growth, and development of both mother and fetus, the placenta's role in protecting a fetus from the mother's immune system, and placental diseases. In the process, they reveal the vital importance of this organ--which is composed mostly of fetal cells--for us as individuals and as a species.

This volume examines the role of steroids and peptides in the regulation of pregnancy and pregnancy outcome, and their long-term effects including possible influences on adult-onset diseases. During pregnancy the placenta acts as a central regulator and coordinator of maternal and fetal physiology, and the onset of labor, through its production and regulation of steroids and peptides. Perturbations to this regulatory system can result in poor pregnancy outcome, such as preterm birth and low birth weight. These in turn are linked to diseases in later life. Intriguingly, many of these regulatory actions of steroids and peptides also occur in the brain. The induction and suppression of peptides by steroids appears to be key to regulatory function in both brain and placenta. These interweaving strands, linking basic science with obstetrics, are all reviewed in depth here producing a fascinating account of an important area of materno-fetal medicine.

This volume examines the role of steroids and peptides in the regulation of pregnancy and pregnancy outcome, and their long-term effects including possible influences on adult-onset diseases. During pregnancy the placenta acts as a central regulator and coordinator of maternal and fetal physiology, and the onset of labor, through its production and regulation of steroids and peptides. Perturbations to this regulatory system can result in poor pregnancy outcome, such as preterm birth and low birth weight. These in turn are linked to diseases in later life. Intriguingly, many of these regulatory actions of steroids and peptides also occur in the brain. The induction and suppression of peptides by steroids appears to be key to regulatory function in both brain and placenta. These various interweaving strands, linking basic science with obstetrics, are all reviewed in depth here producing a fascinating account of an important area of materno-fetal medicine.