Editorial: Macaque At-Birth Adoption: Its Power and Promise

Abstract

A compelling piece of science in this month's issue is the work of Wood et al., which addresses a long-standing question about adoption in infancy-could the process of adoption affect the later characteristics of adopted children?¹ This question arises from studies showing that children adopted at birth have higher rates of behavioral problems on average later in life.² Potential confounds of such studies are that adopted children may enter the adoption with pre-existing vulnerabilities related to the reason for adoption, which in turn could lead to behavioral differences. Scientists trying to minimize this confound previously have capitalized on the benefits of animal model approaches-randomization, controlled genetic background, controlled environmental factors, faster development, opportunities for close observation³-showing that adoption at birth can affect rodent offspring long term.⁴ However, a nonhuman primate study comes closer to addressing this question specifically for our human, primate vulnerability.