Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. When the brain releases oxytocin during sex, childbirth, breastfeeding, and social interactions, the hormone supports strong feelings such as attachment, trust, and closeness. That's why oxytocin is frequently nicknamed the love, cuddle, or happy hormone--even though it's also linked with aggression. To continue investigating the biological role of oxytocin, a team of researchers studied it with scientist's poster species for love and friendship, the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). The small rodents found throughout central North America have bonds that are "similar to human friendships in the sense that they are selective and long-lasting. Voles form strong, stable bonds with specific peers," Markita Landry, a chemist from the University of California (UC), Berkeley, tells Popular Science.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Tiny rodents living in a major American city are unique examples of evolution playing out in real time. Like geologic time itself, the process of evolution itself is generally a very slow process with teeny tiny changes passed down over several generations. All of these small changes eventually result in new adaptations and potentially new species over thousands or millions of years. However, in the face of dramatic shifts in the world around them from climate change to human encroachment, species sometimes must rapidly adapt or die.

GANksy, a new artificial intelligence software, has been trained to produce works that mimic those of'a certain street artist'. 'GANksy wants to be put into a robot body so it can spraypaint the entire planet,' says the team, adding that all proceeds will be reinvested in the company.