Fathers’ Genomic Imprinting Promotes Mothers’ Loving Care

By passing down an epigenetically paternalized gene to their offspring, fathers may indirectly influence mothers to maximize their nurturing behavior after the offspring are born. This effect, which was observed among mice and may be present in other mammals, including humans, concerns the Phlda2 gene, which controls the size of the placental endocrine compartment that produces hormones. Whether this gene is switched “off” (the paternalized state) or “on” (the maternalize