Saturday, 25 May, 2013

78 million years ago, a pregnant predator of the Cretaceous ocean died and sank to the sea floor. Today, her fossil gives the first proof that plesiosaurs, one of the commonest and baddest marine reptiles of the era, did not lay eggs. It gave birth.

Mother is your first — and most important — relationship. What does science tell us about the effects of mothering? What happens when groups of monkeys are raised without a mother? How does a “fragile family” affect young people? What are “social risk factors,” and why should we care about them?

Baboon mothers with more social ties have better infant survival. Talk about the evolutionary advantage of communication!

The science of mothering: How does early experience affect health? How does parental behavior shape kids? The sadness of orphans. The role of rats. Harry Harlowe’s motherless monkeys. The day care enigma. The mousy dad who takes care of his kids.

All about twins and super twins! Surprising smarts in Swedish siblings. Intelligence, personality, and coping 101 for harried parents.