Monogamy consists of staying with the same fellow to procreate for a long period of time that sometimes lasts a lifetime. Human beings have completely naturalized this social attitude but it is not so common in other species of mammals. What are the causes of monogamous behavior? Two studies published this week raise answers to this question.
The touch not only makes the affection but, in addition, it changes the genes. According to a study published in Nature Neuroscience, sex and physical contact between two individuals induce permanent chemical changes in chromosomes that affect the expression of genes (epigenetic changes) that regulate sexual behavior and promote monogamy.
Owl monkeys that have a stable partner and are faithful to it reproduce more than those with multiple partners, according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania (United States), published in 'Plos One'. The work reveals how monogamy and mating, relatively rare among mammals, can benefit hundreds of individuals. And it could help to understand how the patterns of relationships in human beings have evolved, as the anthropologist Eduardo Fernández-Duque and his colleagues point out.
Yes, at least according to Satoshi Kanazawa, an expert in evolutionary psychology at the London School of Economics who argues that fidelity can be largely determined by intelligence. In fact, for Kanazawa, smarter men have fewer adventures and place more importance on stable relationships.
From a biological point of view yes, according to a study published in the journal 'BMC Evolutionary Biology'. Its authors, from the Center for Evolutionary Biology at the University of Western Australia, demonstrated through a series of experiments with domestic mice that the sperm of polygamous rodents compete better in the race for fertilization than that of monogamous rodents.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
