The Birds, The Bees, and…?: “When prairie voles have sex, two hormones called oxytocin and vasopressin are released. If the release of these hormones is blocked, prairie-voles’ sex becomes a fleeting affair, like that normally enjoyed by their rakish montane cousins. Conversely, if prairie voles are given an injection of the hormones, but prevented from having sex, they will still form a preference for their chosen partner. In other words, researchers can make prairie voles fall in love – or whatever the vole equivalent of this is – with an injection.” And, from that, scientists are seeking to suck all the poetry and mystery out of this thing called love. Some phrases to look out for: “chemical addiction”, “job application”, “love map”, and “work on rats”. (Link via AndrewSullivan.com)