TECHNICIAN
Love
& sundry topics
The reality of love See page 7
An object of desire See page
6
Poems from the Pack See page 8
Mapping sweet success See pages 4-5
Love: A science through the ages THE CHEMISTRY Katie Sanders Deputy Features Editor
Some things may never be understood by science. However, with the help of two unassuming rodents, love may not be one of them. Lisa McGraw, an assistant professor of biology, studies and compares the neurotransmitters of prairie voles, monogamous
THE HISTORY mouse-like creatures, and their promiscuous cousins, meadow voles. McGraw’s research delves into the biological factors influencing attraction and partnership, and voles have proven to be the model organisms to study. “We can use these animal models to begin to understand the genetic and neurobiological basis of love and attraction,” McGraw
VOLES continued page 2
Nikki Stoudt Life & Style Editor
We celebrate Valentine’s Day these days with boxes of chocolate, bouquets of flowers and time with loved ones, but the history of Valentine’s Day — and the story of its patron saint — is doused in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance and that St. Valentine’s
Day contains signs of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Timothy Stinson, professor of medieval literature, said it was Geoffrey Chaucer, the 14th century English poet and supposed “father of the English language,” who first made
HISTORY continued page 3