In the evolution of childbearing in humans, there is a conflict that occurs both between the mother and father of the child but as well as between the mother and child. In order for a fertilized egg to be implanted, it has to "shout" loud enough to the mother so the uterine lining is not shed. This is done by pushing itself further and further into the uterus while releasing hormones as well. Once the fetilized egg is implanted, another battle begins between the mother's and father's genes to decide how large the baby will grow in the uterus. The mother would want to keep the baby small to limit her personal investment while the father wants the baby to grow as large as possible to increase its change of survival. The conflict between the mother and fetus is also brought to light because only half the DNA of the child is the mother's.
Recent comments