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You know the scene—it’s a Friday night, and your date just canceled. You’re bummed, maybe a little hurt. You think now might be a good time for a beer, maybe a bourbon. And you have good company: fruit flies. Turns out that sexually deprived male fruit flies hit the bottle more frequently than sexually satisfied ones.
這個場景你應該很熟悉：星期五晚上，你的約會計劃泡湯了。你感到心煩意亂，可能還有點兒受傷。這個時候如果能喝上一瓶啤酒或者威士忌，對你來說再合適不過了。要知道，還有另外一種生物和你一樣：果蠅。有人發現，求歡被拒絕的雄性果蠅，比那些琴瑟和鳴的果蠅更喜歡飲酒。
Researchers placed one group of males repeatedly in a container with females who’d already mated. Those females were no longer receptive to sex. So the males learned to stop trying.
研究人員將一組雄性果蠅反復放進一個容器，和那些已經有過交配行為的雌性共處一室。那些雌性果蠅已不再接受交配的要求，于是雄性們只得學著斷了念想。
The scientists placed another group with virgin females, who were receptive. Then they offered the two groups of males a choice of food. One choice was supplemented with ethanol. And the sexually frustrated flies dove for the drink in significantly greater numbers.
科學家們又把另一組雄性果蠅和未發生過性行為、仍然處于接受交配狀態的雌性果蠅放在一起。隨后，他們讓這兩組雄性果蠅選擇食物。其中一種食物里含有酒精，而那些求偶失敗的果蠅們，有大量都一頭扎進這種食物里吮吸。
This behavior was also predicted by a particular neuropeptide in the flies’ brains. The sexually deprived flies had a low level of the molecule. The scientists found they could moderate the flies’ alcohol-seeking behavior just by upping this molecule. The research was published in the journal Science.
而這一行為，同樣通過對果蠅大腦中一種神經肽的研究而預測出來。求偶失敗的果蠅體內的分子水平較低，而科學家發現，通過提高分子水平，可以調節果蠅的尋酒行為。這一研究發表于《科學》雜志上。
The finding could help explain how addiction may be determined both by the brain and by social conditions—especially when those are tough to swallow.
這一發現也許會有助于解釋，成癮現象是怎樣被大腦和外部社會環境同時決定的——特別是那些看上去本不容易沉迷的物種。
