Matrotrophy, the continuous extra‐vitelline supply of nutrients from the parent to the progeny
during gestation, is one of the masterpieces of nature, contributing to offspring fitness and …

The evolution of the placenta was transformative. It changed how offspring are fed during
gestation from depositing all the resources into an egg to continually supplying resources …

Expansion of the neocortex is a hallmark of human evolution. However, determining which
adaptive mechanisms facilitated its expansion remains an open question. Here we show …

Kim Sterelny and Daniel McShea for helpful comments and suggestions on earlier papers
on the topic that I also included within the present work. Kristian Köchy for a series of …

Few mammalian organs vary as dramatically among species as the placenta. This variation
is remarkable considering that the placenta's primary function—transfer of nutrients and …

At birth a mammalian neonate enters an extreme environment compared to the intrauterine
environment in which it has grown. This transition may be particularly extreme in marsupials …

The conserved brain design that primates inherited from early mammals differs from the
variable adult brain size and species-specific brain dominances observed across mammals …

The placenta mediates physiological exchange between the mother and fetus. In placental
mammals, all placentas are descended from a single common ancestor and functions are …

Evolution of highly invasive placentation in the stem lineage of eutherians and subsequent
extension of pregnancy set eutherians apart from other mammals, that is, marsupials with …

Identifying modes of species diversification is fundamental to our understanding of how
biodiversity changes over evolutionary time. Diversification modes are captured in species …