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Science 29 May 1998:
Vol. 280. no. 5368, p. 1346
DOI: 10.1126/science.280.5368.1346
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Research News

EVOLUTION:
In Mice, Mom's Genes Favor Brains Over Brawn

Ann Gibbons

Using a process called genomic imprinting, in which regulatory genes silence one copy of a gene, researchers have created two strains of mice, one bred to express more copies of genes inherited from their mothers and one bred to express more paternal genes. Surprisingly, the ones with the maternal genes had big brains and small bodies, while those with the paternal genes had small brains and big bodies, which parallels the notion that in humans, mothers invest extra energy in their young to promote larger brains (see main text).

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)