How Life Begins

Book excerpt: From the moment of fertilization until the day of birth, the extraordinary life of a fetus is chronicled in this awe-inspiring volume drawn from the latest in pre-natal research. "How Life Begins, taking advantage of the relatively recent advent of ultrasound technology and other imaging techniques, offers a month-by-month guide to what a developing baby is seeing, hearing, dreaming about, and how it is accomplishing the miracle of preparing to be human. Readers will discover: How a fetus's eye movements work to "boot up" the computer that is its brain How the hands and feet commit programmed suicide to create fingers and What role genetics plays in determining an infant's sexual identity and personality How the baby becomes the choreographer of the mother's labor, and the director of his or her own birth Interviews with leading researchers combine with truly remarkable photography to make "How Life Begins an unforgettable journey marking the passage from single cell to bright-eyed baby.