More junk makes for better dads

Prairie vole dads are models of dedicated fatherhood. Even among them, however, some dads are more exemplary than others. Now, a new molecules-to-behavior analysis links particularly dutiful fatherhood in these hamster-size rodents to a stretch of DNA that scientists once dismissed as meaningless junk.

DAD’S JUNK. When males carry more of a type of DNA previously considered useless, voles tend to have tighter-knit families.