&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;We all think we know the story of pregnancy. Sperm meets egg, f&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;ollowed by nine months of nurturing, nesting, and quiet incubation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;But this story isn’t the nursery rhyme we think it is. In a way, it’s a struggle, almost like a tiny war. And right on the front lines of that battle is another major player on the stage of pregnancy that not a single person on the planet would be here without. An entirely &lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;new &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span&gt;organ: the placenta.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;In this episode we take you on a journey through the 270-day life of this weird, squishy, gelatinous orb, and discover that it is so much more than an organ. It’s a foreign invader. A piece of meat. A friend and parent. And it’s perhaps the most essential piece in the survival of our kind.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;This episode was &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;reported by Heather Radke and Becca Bressler, and produced by Becca Bressler and Pat Walters, with help from Matt Kielty and Maria Paz Gutierrez. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;Special thanks to Diana Bianchi, Julia Katz, Sam Behjati, Celia Bardwell-Jones, Hannah Ingraham, Pip Lipkin, and Molly Fassler.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;Check out Harvey’s latest &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0143400421001284"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;paper&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt; published with Julia Katz, who we spoke to for this episode.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Support Radiolab by becoming a member today at &lt;a href="https://pledge3.wnyc.org/donate/radiolab/onestep/"&gt;Radiolab.org/donate&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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