Fatherless sons have more testosterone
That has implications for paternal care
Most males in the animal kingdom do little parenting. Their strategy is simple: inseminate as many females as possible and hope for the best. Sometimes, though, parental investment by a male pays off. Songbird chicks are usually tended by both mother and father. Wolf packs see alpha males and females collaborate to raise the cubs. And in human beings, too, the children’s father hangs around to lend a hand in bringing up the kids.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Like father, like son?”
From the June 4th 2022 edition
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