An enduring but erroneous belief is that the post-fertilisation period is irrelevant for axis development in mammals. Two recent studies further undermine this belief. Is information for axial developmental encoded in the egg cortex?

We derive a constraint on the strength of CO2 fertilisation of the terrestrial biosphere through a “top-down” approach, calibrating Earth system model parameters constrained by the post-industrial increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration. We derive a probabilistic prediction for the globally averaged strength of CO2 fertilisation in nature, for the period 1850 to 2000 AD, implicitly net of oth...

when concentrations of luteinising hormone are high throughout the follicular phase, as in some women with polycystic ovaries, the hormone penetrates the follicle and allows the oocyte to mature prematurely, resulting in ovulation of an oocyte that is physiologically "aged." Such oocytes are unlikely to be fertilised or will tend to produce embryos that implant poorly and therefore abort. Data ...