You can read as many parenting books as you like. A lot of the time, mom and dad have parenting styles that are … well, let’s just say different. Sometimes, it might even seem like these differences are hardwired into parents’ brains. It turns out that at least in mice, they really are. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Stephen Shea shows how during our latest edition of Cocktails & Chromosomes.
To study parenting behavior, Shea’s lab investigates pup retrieval in mice. In other words, they look at mouse moms’ and dads’ abilities to sense signs of trouble in their youngsters and respond accordingly. “Mothers can get really good at this behavior, but fathers not so much,” Shea says. “We find that over five days, mothers improve dramatically and perform consistently. The fathers do retrieve, but they do it kind of half-[heartedly].”
Shea’s exact assessment is a bit more blunt—this is a bar talk, after all—and it couldn’t have been better timed, with his presentation falling right between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Press play to see more. And sign up now to catch our next Cocktails & Chromosomes event live. On June 27, CSHL Assistant Professor Corina Amor Vegas will be at Industry bar in Huntington, NY, to answer the eternal questions, “Why do we age and what can we do about it?”