Lack of food is a known trigger of embryonic diapause, but it has not been clear how nutrient depletion in the mother's diet is sensed by the embryo. "Seasonal starvation is one of the universal ...

It’s challenging to sustain a pregnancy when food is short, or conditions are otherwise tough. That’s why many mammalian embryos can postpone their growth to get through periods of environmental ...

In some mammals, the timing of the normally continuous embryonic development can be altered to improve the chances of survival for both the embryo and the mother. This mechanism to temporarily slow ...

At some point in our evolution, we lost the ability to activate a reproductive mechanism called embryonic diapause, which slows development, usually during the blastocyst stage. And so, unlike mammals ...

Scientists have discovered a kind of “pause button” in early human development. This biological mechanism has long been known in other mammals, but its discovery in humans could aid IVF procedures.

In some mammals, the timing of the normally continuous embryonic development can be altered to improve the chances of survival for both the embryo and the mother. This mechanism to temporarily slow ...

Seals give birth only when conditions are right. After mating, a female seal can delay implantation of the embryo in the uterine wall—pausing pregnancy until she senses that her fat reserves are ...

The Nature Index 2025 Research Leaders — previously known as Annual Tables — reveal the leading institutions and countries/territories in the natural and health sciences, according to their output in ...