In this episode, Nikki Farrell (Haverford ’24) explores how experience shapes maternal behavior. To understand whether maternal behavior is innate or learned, Nikki interviews three different mammals: a rat, a rabbit, and a sheep. What happens when they are exposed to babies that aren’t their own? Nikki then does a deep dive into the hormonal changes that might lead to a maternal state in animals? But what are these hormones doing in the brain? And what other factors might play a role? Tune in to find out!