** Biology: Ladies, Are You Sure You Want to Have Kids?

I highly recommend this NYTimes article about pregnancy. It discusses a scientist who theorizes that pregnancy is not quite as cooperative between the mother and the fetus as we commonly believe. Instead, he argues, "a mother and her unborn child engage in an unconscious struggle over the nutrients she will provide it."

In other words, the mother and the fetus fight over the mother's resources. Neither side really wants to win outright, but on the other hand (as with other things in nature) it's not just a free give and take.
- posted by David @ 11:32 AM