Bird Pinkerton

And again, like, this is just one example of the ways that researchers think that these cells could be helping a parent's body sort of heal or fix issues, right?

So maybe, you know, my cells at some point helped heal something in you as well.

Nothing wrong with your heart, but I'll work on curing your various other ailments and diseases.

Sorry.

Sorry I've been such a disappointment to you.

You have not been a disappointment.

This feels like a perfect transition to the next thing here, which is that...

Sometimes the parent-fetus-cell relationship becomes strained in certain ways.

Like any communication between parent and child.

It's not all sort of heart healing and scar knitting.

Sometimes the cells from the kid can be somewhat obnoxious.

So up next, how these cells might actually play a role in a whole range of pretty serious diseases.

So, Mama, when I was in your womb, I gave you a bunch of my cells.

This happens whenever there's a fetus inside a pregnant person for a while.

And in this exchange, Amy Boddy says that...

There are trade-offs.

And one of the main complications that researchers have been exploring is related to autoimmune disease.

Wow.

So like...

To be really clear from the get-go, right, like this is all very much theoretical, right?