Female baboons with strong relationship to fathers found to live longer
The Guardian - ScienceTuesday, June 17, 2025 at 11:01:00 PM
Turns out, even a little dad time goes a long way—for baboons, at least. A new study found that female baboons with stronger bonds to their fathers during childhood tend to live longer as adults. This challenges the assumption that male baboons, often seen as uninvolved parents, have no meaningful impact on their offspring’s survival.
Editor’s Note: We often think of primate dads (especially in species like baboons) as deadbeats, but this research flips the script. It hints that even small paternal contributions—like protection or social support—might have hidden, long-term benefits. For scientists, it’s a nudge to rethink how we measure parenting roles in the animal kingdom. And for humans? Maybe a reminder that dad’s presence, however subtle, matters more than we think.
— Curated via WP Now’s
