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posted by martyb on Tuesday January 08 2019, @12:30PM   Printer-friendly
from the if-your-parents-didn't-have-children,-then-you-probably-won't,-either dept.

Monogamy may have a telltale signature of gene activity

In the animal world, monogamy has some clear perks. Living in pairs can give animals some stability and certainty in the constant struggle to reproduce and protect their young—which may be why it has evolved independently in various species. Now, an analysis of gene activity within the brains of frogs, rodents, fish, and birds suggests there may be a pattern common to monogamous creatures. Despite very different brain structures and evolutionary histories, these animals all seem to have developed monogamy by turning on and off some of the same sets of genes.

"It is quite surprising," says Harvard University evolutionary biologist Hopi Hoekstra, who was not involved in the new work. "It suggests that there's a sort of genomic strategy to becoming monogamous that evolution has repeatedly tapped into."

Conserved transcriptomic profiles underpin monogamy across vertebrates (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1813775116) (DX)


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  • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday January 09 2019, @04:04AM

    by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday January 09 2019, @04:04AM (#783973)

    Interesting.

    Though I do wonder whether they are actually trying to hide the fact that they are dallying, rather than simply trying to avoid being interrupted in the act. A rather important distinction there I think, and in a small troupe where everybody knows each other's scent it's probably quite difficult to hide the who and when of such things. I wonder, do the dallying individuals avoid the leader (or stay downwind) more than usual until the scent would have a chance to fade?

    Also have to love the fellow talking about how it's a pity that two individuals that obviously enjoy each other's company don't have their behavior corrected by the physical abuse of the troupe leader when they are caught. As though a violently enforced harem arrangement was some sort of holy sacrament.

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