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This Terry’s Chocolate Orange-type display is actually a variety of mice placentas, dubbed The Placenta Rainbow. Despite being the same age (Around the 12-week pregnancy mark) the placentas look different. That’s because they show the difference mother’s immune systems can have on placental development. Blue represents the nucleus, where DNA is stored and controlled; blood vessels are stained in red; and trophoblasts, the first cells to form in the developing embryo, are stained in green. Additional colours are present due to an expression of two or more of these proteins in the same cell. The range of colours indicates the significant effects that differences in a mother’s immune system can have on placental development. Such techniques could help us understand and identify ways to treat complications that arise during human pregnancies. (Photo by PA Wire/Wellcome Images)
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