Apparently scientists have tweaked a gene in voles (they're similar to mice or rats) that makes the males more likely to stay at home and not fool around with other horny females. Aside from the inevitable question about whether this could be translated to humans (not yet, according to the scientists), I found myself wondering whether this should be done to voles.
If these animals are anything like the hamsters I had growing up, the idea that the parents remain together after gestation was not practical. The males get turf-conscious and eat the potential competitors. Moreover, mom would eat the babies if she feared something else would make a meal of her kids. Easier to make new ones, I guess, than to feed the enemy.
The scientists noted that the male voles didn't do anything around the ol' wood chip home either. So I can't help but think that such a genetic change doesn't do a damn bit of good if Dad's hungry or pissed at junior. Moreover, should we assume that female voles prefer having the same sexual partner?
What price to pay for monogamy?
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