Lions typically aren't keen on making new friends. The giant cats guard their territory fiercely and can mortally wound a foe with a single swipe. While aggression is an advantage for apex predators in the wild, it poses real challenges for lions on reserves or in captivity, a number that is growing due to habitat loss.
Researchers working on a wildlife reserve in Dinokeng, South Africa, found that an intranasal application of the "love hormone" oxytocin could make lion meet-cutes less life-threatening. Their work appeared March 30 in the journal iScience.
