‘Nature of Things' looks at how parenthood changes men's brains and bodies with ‘Dad Bods'
TORONTO - A new episode of CBC's 'The Nature of Things,' timed to Father's Day, explores some of the ways men's brains and bodies adapt to parenthood.
The episode titled 'Dad Bods' takes viewers across Canada and around the world to look at social and scientific elements of fatherhood.
The Canadian Press spoke with director Christine McLean about how the doc, available now on CBC Gem, came together.
CP: Tell me about the tone of the documentary.
McLean: I like to think that it's not just humorous, but it's warm-hearted... I think the most important point that came out of all this science, most of it quite recent, only in the last 20 years or so, is that we as humans, we have these incredible bodies that are so adaptable. And especially our brains. What the science is showing us is that given the opportunity, we all have the potential, whether we're male or female, to be great nurturing parents.
Dads become more empathetic than they might have been before they had children, but they also become experts in their own child. The part of the brain that's stimulated is the part that allows us to read social cues. And they really become very intelligent in terms of figuring out why a baby is in distress.
CP: Did anything you learned while making the documentary surprise you?
McLean: I did not know that a man's testosterone typically goes down after he has a child. It made a certain amount of sense because I think many of us notice that when a person becomes a parent, they become a softer, gentler version of themselves... I had no idea that that was linked to biological changes inside that person. That was the first surprise.
All men are impacted by hands-on care of children: grandfathers, uncles, adoptive fathers. If they're holding that child, they have those hormonal changes happening.
That was all new to me.
I think new to most people was the recent science about the benefits of what they call skin-to-skin care, which is common in Canadian hospitals. I remember noticing a few years ago friends would send me photographs of babies being held by their dads, and the dads would have their shirts off. And I'm thinking, what is happening in the delivery room these days? It puzzled me. Is this a weird new selfie that people are taking?
Little did I know that there's all kinds of physical benefits to that. The father's heart rate goes down, his blood pressure goes down, the baby is comforted.
But also the baby often will take in the good gut bacteria that can be on the dad's skin and it helps their digestive system. And who knew that? That was only discovered a couple of years ago. And we now know that for babies who are born via caesarean section, they don't get the gut bacteria from the mom that they get with a conventional birth. And yet, if dads practise skin-to-skin care, the latest science shows that their contribution to that baby's gut health is as robust as the mom's would have been had she delivered vaginally. It's extraordinary.
CP: The episode made me think about masculinity, and the conversations we're having around what masculinity means.
McLean: It wasn't one of my goals to delve into that, but watching it, you can't help but think about these things. I would say that anybody watching this documentary is not going to be left with the feeling that a good father isn't masculine. I think they're going to have the exact opposite feeling.
The book that inspired it ('Father Time: A Natural History of Men and Babies' by American primatologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy) delves into that a little bit more.
There is this sense that if we are to give men permission or at least encourage them to be close to their children, that the changes that happen in their body result in a different kind of masculinity.
I'm not going to say it's less masculine... I think that there's kind of a new version of a hero that's evolving when it comes to fathering children. And I think today's heroes are the dads who get up in the night, the dads that change the diapers, the dads that worry about whether their children are happy. And I don't think that makes them less a man. I think it makes them a greater human being. And I think that discovering there was so much going on in the male body in a sense takes gender out of the equation.
CP: How would you respond to someone who doesn't like the idea of their testosterone level going down?
McLean: The fact that testosterone goes down, when that was discovered about 20 years ago, it attracted a lot of attention and led to this burgeoning field of science. And I can only assume that there was some concern about that on the part of men, because it's testosterone that allows men and women to build body mass. It leads to competitiveness, it leads to assertiveness. None of those things are bad. The thought of losing some of that, I can understand where somebody — particularly a young man — might not like thinking about that.
But anybody who watches this documentary will see that the rewards for being a hands-on dad are so great. Losing a little testosterone in the process is no big deal when you see the rewards, the bonds that develop with your child.
We couldn't fit everything into the documentary, but what the data shows is, in addition to fathers living longer and having greater health, they have stronger marriages. They have better relationships with their kids.
We were focused on the dads, but if you were to look at the children, there are so many profound benefits to a child to having a hands-on dad, in terms of how well they do in school, how well their mental health is.
And I think that a good dad makes for a good family, and good families make for a great community, and there's just these ripples of positive impact from dads being as involved as they are today.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Quantum Super Hub: Meet the ChatGPT of quantum computing unveiled in Canada
In a bold step toward making quantum computing accessible enough to solve everyday problems, the Canadian city of Lethbridge has launched a first-of-its-kind community-based Quantum Super Hub. This new facility is being hailed as the 'ChatGPT of quantum computing'. Similar to how ChatGPT made AI easy to use, the new hub brings the power of quantum computing and other high-powered tools like AI and GPUs within reach of local businesses, students, and researchers. "By anchoring Canada's first Super Hub at Tecconnect, we're giving local innovators the tools to solve global problems—from agri-tech to logistics—with computing power once thought to be years away," said Renae Barlow, vice president of Economic Development Lethbridge (EDL), a not-for-profit organization involved in the development of Quantum Super Hub,. The main highlight of the quantum super hub is that anyone can describe a problem in plain language, and the system automatically decides whether to solve it using quantum computing, AI, or traditional supercomputers. 'The whole value proposition for the super platform is that it leverages a combination of classical and quantum hardware. It uses Nvidia GPUs, it uses quantum parts, it uses gate-based quantum machines, it uses classical CPUs, and GPUs. It figures out how to best solve the problem using a combination of these architectures," said Muhammad Khan, CEO of SuperQ Quantum Computing, the company that developed the hub. The development is being seen as a major leap as quantum computers, while powerful, have traditionally been out of reach for most people and companies. This is because they require expensive lab setups, highly trained quantum scientists, and complex programming skills. What the Super Quantum Hub does differently is simplify the user experience while intelligently picking the right computing strategy—sometimes quantum, sometimes classical, often both. It's this combination that makes it powerful and accessible. On top of the tech, a formidable support system has been put in place to help users. According to the SuperQ team, local businesses can get help at every step—from identifying key problems to testing solutions and receiving training. Moreover, workshops, pilot programs, and various other opportunities from the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Polytechnic are being offered to make sure people, researchers, and businesses benefit from the hub. "There are going to be students coming from the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Polytechnic who are going to have the opportunity to immerse a little further in these technologies, and also, there's new initiatives propping up as we move forward. Even the access for researchers is a very exciting proposition with the hub being open now," Eyren Uggenti, who leads professional services at SuperQ, added. The implications of this new hub are huge. Until now, quantum computing has been a distant dream for most industries. With this new model, companies in fields like precision agriculture, agri-tech, logistics, manufacturing, and finance can actually use quantum-level power to solve problems that are too complex or time-consuming. For instance, they can model climate risk in real time, simulate complex supply chains, or optimize energy use in manufacturing processes. Additionally, quantum hardware remains expensive and specialized. This is why the new hybrid model, where quantum is used only when needed, proves important. It allows industries to start benefiting from quantum power today without waiting for the technology to fully mature. Looking ahead, if the Lethbridge Super Quantum Hub proves successful, SuperQ plans to expand, with the next hub expected to open in the United Arab Emirates. The hope is that this model will unlock access to quantum computing worldwide.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Satellite streaks block out the Arctic sky
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. From intelligence gathering to internet usage to navigation, satellites are used daily across the globe. However, their activity is causing serious issues. In February, a team of researchers from Western University in Canada, in collaboration with the organization Defense Research and Development Canada, trekked into the high Arctic to try to measure the activity of satellites orbiting across the pole. Using 14 low-cost cameras, the researchers were able to track satellites passing overhead on the evening of Feb. 22, 2025, compiling them into a long-exposure image to show the total activity for the evening. Each streak of white in the image shows the satellite's path in the sky. Their system was inspired by meteor tracking, with cameras pointed in various angles to catch the entire night sky. This photo was taken in Eureka, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. This novel satellite system has allowed the researchers to produce the first ever full year of satellite tracking data over Canada, according to Western University. The system is currently deployed at four sites across Canada to monitor satellite activity including: Eureka, Osoyoos, British Columbia, and Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan. With the 14-camera setup, the researchers could track objects in the sky over 11.8 inches (30 cm) in size. To date, the system has found over 17,000 unique satellites and clocked nearly half a billion observations, according to the press release. While the system gives a more detailed way to monitor satellite activity, it also reveals just how full our skies are with these devices. Not only are satellites chemically polluting our atmosphere with heavy metals, but they are becoming a growing issue for astronomers trying to look deep into our universe. With more launches planned to add new satellites, the question to be asked is: when will the sky be too full? You can read more about Earth's satellite activity and growing satellite pollution problem.
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Bill Gates shares ‘next phase of Alzheimer's fight' as he speaks about his father's personal battle
Bill Gates is speaking out about his personal experience with Alzheimer's — and his hope for progress in fighting the disease. In an essay published this week on his blog at the Microsoft co-founder and tech billionaire, 69, reflected on the difficulty of spending another Father's Day without his dad, Bill Gates Sr. Advertisement The elder Gates passed away in 2020 at the age of 94 after battling Alzheimer's. 'It was a brutal experience, watching my brilliant, loving father go downhill and disappear,' Gates wrote in the blog post. Today, motivated by his own experience with the common dementia, Gates — who serves as chair of the Gates Foundation — is committed to working toward a cure for the common dementia, which currently affects more than seven million Americans, or one in nine people over 65. In his blog, Gates expressed optimism about the 'massive progress' being made in the fight against Alzheimer's and other dementias. Advertisement Last year, Gates said he visited Indiana University's School of Medicine in Indianapolis to tour the labs where teams have been researching Alzheimer's biomarkers. 5 Bill Gates (left) is speaking out about his personal experience with Alzheimer's — and his hope for progress in fighting the disease. Brian Ach 'I also got the opportunity to look under the hood of new automated machines that will soon be running diagnostics around the world,' he wrote. 'It's an exciting time in a challenging space.' One of the biggest breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research, according to Gates, is blood-based diagnostic tests, which detect the ratio of amyloid plaques in the brain. (Amyloid plaques, clumps of protein that accumulate in the brain, are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's.) Advertisement 'I'm optimistic that these tests will be a game-changer,' Gates wrote. 5 The elder Gates passed away in 2020 at the age of 94 after battling Alzheimer's. Bloomberg via Getty Images Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first blood-based test for patients 55 years and older, as Fox News Digital reported at the time. Traditionally, Gates noted, the primary path to Alzheimer's diagnosis was either a PET scan (medical imaging) or spinal tap (lumbar puncture), which were usually only performed when symptoms emerged. Advertisement The hope is that blood-based tests could do a better job of catching the disease early, decline begins. 5 Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first blood-based test for patients 55 years and older, as Fox News Digital reported at the time. – 'We now know that the disease begins 15 to 20 years before you start to see any signs,' Gates wrote. 'A simple, accurate and easy-to-run blood test might one day make routine screening possible, identifying patients long before they experience cognitive decline,' he stated. Gates said he is often asked, 'What is the point of getting diagnosed if I can't do anything about it?' Start and end your day informed with our newsletters Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today's top stories Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters To that end, he expressed his optimism for the future of Alzheimer's treatments, noting that two drugs — Lecanemab (Leqembi) and Donanemab (Kisunla) — have gained FDA approval. 'Both have proven to modestly slow down the progression of the disease, but what I'm really excited about is their potential when paired with an early diagnostic,' Gates noted. Advertisement He said he is also hopeful that the blood tests will help speed up the process of enrolling patients in clinical trials for new Alzheimer's drugs. 5 The hope is that blood-based tests could do a better job of catching the disease early, decline begins. Monkey Business – To accomplish this, Gates is calling for increased funding for research, which often comes from federal grants. 'This is the moment to spend more money on research, not less,' he wrote, also stating that 'the quest to stop Alzheimer's has never had more momentum.' Advertisement 'There is still a huge amount of work to be done — like deepening our understanding of the disease's pathology and developing even better diagnostics,' Gates went on. 5 Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, his wife Melinda, far left, his father Bill Gates Sr., and his step-mother Mimi Gates pose for a photo in 2007. AP Gates pointed out that when his father had Alzheimer's, it was considered a 'death sentence,' but that is starting to change. Advertisement 'I am blown away by how much we have learned about Alzheimer's over the last couple of years,' he wrote. 'I cannot help but be filled with a sense of hope when I think of all the progress being made on Alzheimer's, even with so many challenges happening around the world. We are closer than ever before to a world where no one has to watch someone they love suffer from this awful disease.'
