Getting Attached: Sugar-protein link joins embryo to Mom

It’s the first bond between a mother and her child–and arguably, the most vital one.

When a newly created human embryo enters its mother’s uterus, it must attach to the wall if it’s going to continue developing. The molecules that mediate this initial attachment may be the same ones that white blood cells use to leave the bloodstream and travel to a wound or infection, according to a study in the Jan.