 Researchers have recently studied prairie voles, a species of rodent who form opposite sex-bear bonds when housed together. When these pairs are separated, they experience stress symptoms similar to those experienced by humans after losing their partners. These symptoms gradually decrease over time, even though the voles remain unpaired. To investigate this phenomenon further, researchers conducted experiments on the voles, separating them from their partners for different lengths of time and observing how their brains responded. They found that the longer the separation period, the more quickly the voles' brain activity returned to normal levels. Additionally, they discovered that the genetic makeup of the voles' brains changed during the separation period, leading to the conclusion that the brain's ability to adapt to the loss of a partner is a complex process involving multiple biological mechanisms. This article was offered by Julie M. Serdino, Sander G. Brardin, Conor J. Kelly, and others.