The old saying, blood is thicker than water, holds true in many species where related animals are treated differently from non-related ones. When interactions between individuals are influenced by their genetic relatedness, it is known as kin discrimination.
Scientists believe this discrimination is a way to prevent inbreeding, and aid in the survival of kin who then pass shared genes on to their offspring. In order to discriminate kin, animals need to recognize one another. It is not so difficult to identify those who share a nest or territory as kin, but how do animals identify unknown individuals?
Scientists studying rodent species have found that odor is an important cue. Urine in rats and mice contains many chemical by-products produced by a set of genes know as the major histocompatibility complex. These genes appear to be good indicators of how related individuals are to on...
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