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Leveraging nature's experiments: David Crews' legacy in behavioral neuroendocrinology.

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Title: Leveraging nature's experiments: David Crews' legacy in behavioral neuroendocrinology.
Authors: Sakata JT; Department of Biology, McGill University, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Canada. Electronic address: jon.sakata@mcgill.ca., Woolley SC; Department of Biology, McGill University, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Canada., Gillette R; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, USA., Nelson RJ; Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, USA., Rhen T; Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, USA. Electronic address: turk.rhen@und.edu.
Source: Hormones and behavior [Horm Behav] 2026 Apr; Vol. 180, pp. 105908. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 06.
Publication Type: Journal Article; Historical Article; Review
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Academic Press Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0217764 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1095-6867 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0018506X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Horm Behav Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: New York, London, Academic Press.
MeSH Terms: Neuroendocrinology*/history , Behavior, Animal*/physiology, Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Sex Differentiation/physiology ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Social Behavior
Abstract: Evolution provides a magnificent set of natural experiments, offering a window into factors shaping morphology, physiology, behavior, and reproductive strategies. David Crews (18 April 1947-16 September 2025) embraced the power of natural experiments to gain insight into biological mechanisms and championed the study of reptiles to uncover general principles of behavioral biology. Here we synthesize his decades of research into comparative and behavioral neuroendocrinology, underscoring how his studies on temperature-dependent sex determination, neural and hormonal mechanisms of sexual differentiation, the evolution of brain mechanisms for social behavior, and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance revealed some of the most fascinating and unimaginable mechanisms of reproduction. While he focused on biological mechanisms in lizards, snakes, and turtles, his research has implications beyond reptiles, challenging dogma and forcing reconsideration of classic paradigms and frameworks.
(Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: The authors of the review paper outlining David Crews' legacy were either trainees (JTS, SCW, RG, and TR) or colleagues (RJN). Our paper summarizes his various contributions to the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology and aims to highlight the breadth and depth of his contributions.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Aggression; Behavioral neuroscience; Comparative neuroscience; Evolution; Hypothalamus; Lizard; Sexual behavior; Sexual differentiation; Snake; Social behavior; Turtle
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260307 Date Completed: 20260710 Latest Revision: 20260807
Update Code: 20260807
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2026.105908
PMID: 41793959
Database: MEDLINE
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  Data: Leveraging nature's experiments: David Crews' legacy in behavioral neuroendocrinology.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Sakata+JT%22">Sakata JT</searchLink>; Department of Biology, McGill University, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Canada. Electronic address: jon.sakata@mcgill.ca.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Woolley+SC%22">Woolley SC</searchLink>; Department of Biology, McGill University, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Canada.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Gillette+R%22">Gillette R</searchLink>; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, USA.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Nelson+RJ%22">Nelson RJ</searchLink>; Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, USA.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Rhen+T%22">Rhen T</searchLink>; Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, USA. Electronic address: turk.rhen@und.edu.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Neuroendocrinology%22">Neuroendocrinology*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Neuroendocrinology+history%22">history</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Behavior%2C+Animal%22">Behavior, Animal*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Behavior%2C+Animal+physiology%22">physiology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Sexual+Behavior%2C+Animal%22">Sexual Behavior, Animal</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Sexual+Behavior%2C+Animal+physiology%22">physiology</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Sex+Differentiation%22">Sex Differentiation</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Sex+Differentiation+physiology%22">physiology</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Animals%22">Animals</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Biological+Evolution%22">Biological Evolution</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22History%2C+20th+Century%22">History, 20th Century</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22History%2C+21st+Century%22">History, 21st Century</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Social+Behavior%22">Social Behavior</searchLink>
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  Data: Evolution provides a magnificent set of natural experiments, offering a window into factors shaping morphology, physiology, behavior, and reproductive strategies. David Crews (18 April 1947-16 September 2025) embraced the power of natural experiments to gain insight into biological mechanisms and championed the study of reptiles to uncover general principles of behavioral biology. Here we synthesize his decades of research into comparative and behavioral neuroendocrinology, underscoring how his studies on temperature-dependent sex determination, neural and hormonal mechanisms of sexual differentiation, the evolution of brain mechanisms for social behavior, and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance revealed some of the most fascinating and unimaginable mechanisms of reproduction. While he focused on biological mechanisms in lizards, snakes, and turtles, his research has implications beyond reptiles, challenging dogma and forcing reconsideration of classic paradigms and frameworks.<br /> (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
– Name: Abstract
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  Data: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: The authors of the review paper outlining David Crews' legacy were either trainees (JTS, SCW, RG, and TR) or colleagues (RJN). Our paper summarizes his various contributions to the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology and aims to highlight the breadth and depth of his contributions.
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  Data: <i>Keywords: </i>Aggression; Behavioral neuroscience; Comparative neuroscience; Evolution; Hypothalamus; Lizard; Sexual behavior; Sexual differentiation; Snake; Social behavior; Turtle
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