Comparative placental anatomy: divergent structures serving a common purpose -- Cell- and tissue-based models for study of placental development -- Transcription factors that regulate trophoblast development and function -- The phylogeny of placental evolution through dynamic integrations of retrotransposons -- Contribution of syncytins and other endogenous retroviral envelopes to human placenta pathologies -- Role of exosomes in placental homeostasis and pregnancy disorders -- Novel reugulators of hemodynamics in the pregnant uterus -- Regulation of placental amino acid transport and fetal growth.