A group of researchers ranging from Oxford University to the Universities of California, Berkley and Los Angeles published in PLoS ONE showing evidence that humans show neural brain activity for parental instincts. Previously, this group found that when individuals were shown adult or infant faces, they had similar neural activity in the striate cortices spreading along ventral and dorsal pathways. In this study the group showed three times more neural activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex when infant images were shown verses adults.

Konrad Lorenz, Nikolaas Tinbergen, and Karl von Frisch won the Nobel Prize for their discoveries regarding organization and behavioral patterns in animals. Lorenz proposed that the infant face along with other animals serves to elicit parental responses. The results from this research seemed to support Lorenz proposal. However, it ought to be noted that the number of participants in this study was very limited and should be taken as only a suggestion until a larger study can be done. Even with this said the authors point out that the research “has potentially important clinical applications in relation to postnatal depression, and could provide opportunities for early identification of families at risk.”

This is great news for bad parents, as know they can blame their genes for bad parenting. Biotech Mashup waits for the first day a parent in court successfully argues that it is not the fault of the parent for negligence but rather their genes.