DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition Oxytocin: A Dog’s
Best Friend by Jessica Steinort Scarborough Middle School
Sponsoring Teacher: Mary Ann Page Third place, junior division,
2011 The bond between humans and man's best friend has intrigued
people for centuries. What could be the cause of this mysterious
bond of man and dog? It is suspected that the hormone oxytocin
may be to blame. The effect of oxytocin has long been seen in
relationships between mothers and children. As of late, it has
also been noticed in human and dog relationships. The bond
between humans and dogs because of oxytocin should be more fully
researched. A few weeks ago, I was enjoying a late-night NOVA
marathon with my family. We had our buttered popcorn and remote
in hand. The episode we were currently watching was named 'Dogs
Decoded'. It explored a wide variety of topics on dogs. I was
starting to lose interest when a small phrase caught my ear. The
role of the hormone oxytocin in creating the bond between
mothers and their newbor