Science & discovery
Mammals evolved placentas from ancient viral DNA.
9 min
Evidence suggests that the development of the mammalian placenta was made possible by an ancient viral infection. We trace how bits of 'junk' DNA from prehistoric viruses were hijacked to protect a growing fetus from the mother's immune system.
Listen on the app, request early access:
Show notes
Exploration of Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs) and their role in human evolution.
The discovery of Syncytin-1 and Syncytin-2 in the human placenta.
How viral 'cell-fusion' and 'immunosuppression' were repurposed for mammalian reproduction.
Convergent evolution examples in mice, cats, and lizards.
The link between viral gene expression and pregnancy health.
In this episode
- 1Intro1 min
- 2The Genetic Stowaways2 min
- 3The Discovery of Syncytin2 min
- 4The Immune Peace Treaty2 min
- 5A Recurring Evolutionary Spark2 min
- 6Outro1 min
Fylom generates episodes like this on any topic you're curious about.
Fylom episodes are researched and written by AI. Automated checks help catch inaccuracies, but episodes aren't reviewed by a human and AI can still get things wrong. Treat them as a starting point, not a source of record — more in our accuracy disclaimer.