The placenta's life-supporting aptitude is reliant on its physical architecture. The branched structures within serve as high-volume exchange champions, enabling the transport of solids, liquids, and gasses in both directions.
Primates feature some of the closest proximity placental exchange barriers seen within the placental mammals, indicating how fine-tuned and elegantly efficient the distribution and exchange mechanism is. The primate placenta is the only interface of exchange between a mother and unborn offspring; thus, everything flows through it, from vital fluids and nutrients to air for gas exchange. The placenta's internal structure leverages highly-branched, high-surface-area structures that sit within pools of fluid as it is key for exchanging elevated quantities of materials back and forth between the two separate individuals without ever mixing the blood flows of the two. Designers may use the placenta as a model for large fluid distribution systems that support an independent/non-mixing smaller, centralized distribution entity requiring a robust, reliable, and efficient exchange system.
