IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology
This Tree's a Lady!
• LiveScienceScientists have discovered the female sex hormone progesterone in a walnut tree, shaking up what's known about the different between plants and animals.
Until now, scientists thought that only animals could make progesterone. A steroid hormone secreted by the ovaries, progesterone prepares the uterus for pregnancy and maintains pregnancy. A synthetic version, progestin, is used in birth control pills and other medications.