Mamels life animal

On Thursday en route to Denver to hang out with some super awesome peeps during their Lactation Project Program Retreat, the newest study to be sensationalized in the manufactured, media-fueled mommy wars exploded across my twitter & facebook.  In a FB thread, Melanie Martin was making some great points so I invited her to write a guest post for Mammals Suck. Mammals Suck systematically supports moms, advocating for them to have ALL the options, be respected for whichever options fit their lives, and that ALL the options be better; better breast-feeding support, better formula, and the best breast milk science. This post addresses how the recent study does not necessarily deliver the best breast milk science. (in this case, ewoks might provide added value... for ONCE!) About Melanie, in her own words: "I’m a biological anthropologist who studies variation in breastfeeding, breast milk, complementary feeding, and infant health and development. I’m also a breastfeeding mom.&q

Usually Mammals Suck… Milk! showcases recent scholarly publications from throughout lactation biology, usually emphasizing the evolutionary perspective. However, those journal articles, so meticulous, brief, and jargony, often obscure the months and years scientists spend doing the science .    "Science has it ALL!" -Principal Skinner   Well, 2013 has been a really exciting year around the Comparative Lactation Lab and I am going to take a moment to high five my colleagues and the cool stuff everyone is doing. This summer, 3rd  year graduate student Laura Klein conducted pilot research for her dissertation. She investigates the types and levels of immune molecules in breast milk from women who live in different disease ecologies. During summer 2012, she collected milk samples and interviewed women at the Mogielica Human Ecology Study Site in rural Poland established by Professor Grazyna Jasienska . Most families in this area live on small-scale farms or help relatives