Scientists are finding that, after all, love really is down to a chemical addiction between people.
OVER the course of history it has been artists, poets and playwrights（剧作家） who have made the greatest progress in humanity's understanding of love. Romance has seemed as inexplicable（费解的） as the beauty of a rainbow. But these days scientists are challenging that notion, and they have rather a lot to say
Is this useful? The scientists think so. For a start, understanding the neurochemical pathways that regulate social attachments may help to deal with defects in people's ability to form relationships. All relationships, whether they are those of parents with their children, spouses with their partners, or workers with their colleagues, rely on an ability to create and maintain social ties. Defects can be disabling, and become apparent as disorders such as autism and schizophrenia（精神分裂症） —and, indeed, as the serious depression that can result from rejection in love. Research is also shedding light on some of the more extreme forms of sexual behaviour. And, controversially, some utopian（乌托邦的） fringe groups see such work as the doorway to a future where love is guaranteed because it will be provided chemically, or even genetically engineered from conception.
The scientific tale of love begins innocently enough, with voles. The prairie vole（野鼠） is a sociable creature, one of the only 3% of mammal species that appear to form monogamous（一夫一妻的） relationships. Mating between prairie voles is a tremendous 24-hour effort. After this, they bond for life. They prefer to spend time with each other, groom each other for hours on end and nest together. They avoid meeting other potential mates. The male becomes an aggressive guard of the female. And when their pups are born, they become affectionate（深情的） and attentive parents. However, another vole, a close relative called the montane vole, has no interest in partnership beyond one-night-stand sex. What is intriguing is that these vast differences in behaviour are the result of a mere handful of genes. The two vole species are more than 99% alike, genetically.
相关单词：addiction
addiction解释：n.上瘾入迷，嗜好
addiction例句：
He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。
相关单词：playwrights
playwrights解释：n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )
playwrights例句：
We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
相关单词：inexplicable
inexplicable解释：adj.无法解释的，难理解的
inexplicable例句：
It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。
相关单词：attachments
attachments解释：n.（用电子邮件发送的）附件( attachment的名词复数 )；附着；连接；附属物
attachments例句：
The vacuum cleaner has four different attachments. 吸尘器有四个不同的附件。
It's an electric drill with a range of different attachments. 这是一个带有各种配件的电钻。
相关单词：spouses
spouses解释：n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )
spouses例句：
Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：disorders
disorders解释：n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调
disorders例句：
Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：rejection
rejection解释：n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃
rejection例句：
He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。
相关单词：doorway
doorway解释：n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径
doorway例句：
They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
相关单词：genetically
genetically解释：adv.遗传上
genetically例句：
All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物
相关单词：sociable
sociable解释：adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的
sociable例句：
Roger is a very sociable person.罗杰是个非常好交际的人。
Some children have more sociable personalities than others.有些孩子比其他孩子更善于交际。
相关单词：groom
groom解释：vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁
groom例句：
His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。
相关单词：attentive
attentive解释：adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的
attentive例句：
She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。
相关单词：partnership
partnership解释：n.合作关系，伙伴关系
partnership例句：
The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。
相关单词：intriguing
intriguing解释：adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心
intriguing例句：
These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：mere
mere解释：adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
mere例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
相关单词：genes
genes解释：n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
genes例句：
You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
