And human moms aren't alone here ... than normal thanks to their brain's salience network. Scientists think giving birth activates this network to help a mother detect threats and protect her ...

But with talk of future space colonies and cities on Mars, there's a good chance that one day humans will give birth somewhere beyond Earth, and that brings up some interesting questions.

Funding: Primary funding for the study was by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Preterm Birth Initiative (1019789), the National Institutes of Health (R01AI150191, R01AI143187, F31HD106714), and the UCSF ...

Birthing families sometimes seek hospitals with lower C-section rates, which can indicate that the physicians try everything ...