“EXPERIENCED” MOUSE MOTHERS TUTOR OTHER FEMALES TO PARENT, HELPED BY HORMONE OXYTOCIN

Watching a mother mouse gather her pups into the family’s nest trains other female mice without pups to perform the same parenting task, a new study shows. Furthermore, these observations lead to the production of oxytocin in the brains of virgin female mice, biochemically shaping their maternal behaviors even before they have pups of their own.