Family Life and Onset of Puberty: A new study published in the journal Child Development finds that good parental support and low marital conflict are associated with later onset of puberty in girls. Early puberty has been linked with a higher likelihood of mood disorders, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and cancers of the reproductive system. According to one of the researchers: “These results replicate and extend previous longitudinal research indicating that higher levels of positive investment and support in family relationships in preschool predict lower levels of pubertal maturation in daughters in the seventh grade.”

School Readiness and Home Environment: By studying 420 pairs of five-year-old twins, researchers report that environmental factors - such as family resources and income, parental attitude toward learning, and quality of child care arrangements - are associated with school readiness. “Our results have important implications for preventive interventions,” said Michel Boivin, Canada Research Chair in Child Social Development and professor of psychology at Laval University in Quebec City and one of the study’s authors. “They should be seen as a further incentive for continued implementation and evaluation of preventive intervention programs aimed at improving the level of school readiness in children from at-risk families.”

Smoking and Pregnancy: A University of Aberdeen study finds that baby boys of women who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to have abnormal penises and poorly descended or smaller testicles.