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.
这个场景你应该很熟悉：星期五晚上，你的约会计划泡汤了。你感到心烦意乱，可能还有点儿受伤。这个时候如果能喝上一瓶啤酒或者威士忌，对你来说再合适不过了。要知道，还有另外一种生物和你一样：果蝇。有人发现，求欢被拒绝的雄性果蝇，比那些琴瑟和鸣的果蝇更喜欢饮酒。
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.
研究人员将一组雄性果蝇反复放进一个容器，和那些已经有过交配行为的雌性共处一室。那些雌性果蝇已不再接受交配的要求，于是雄性们只得学着断了念想。
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.
科学家们又把另一组雄性果蝇和未发生过性行为、仍然处于接受交配状态的雌性果蝇放在一起。随后，他们让这两组雄性果蝇选择食物。其中一种食物里含有酒精，而那些求偶失败的果蝇们，有大量都一头扎进这种食物里吮吸。
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.
而这一行为，同样通过对果蝇大脑中一种神经肽的研究而预测出来。求偶失败的果蝇体内的分子水平较低，而科学家发现，通过提高分子水平，可以调节果蝇的寻酒行为。这一研究发表于《科学》杂志上。
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.
这一发现也许会有助于解释，成瘾现象是怎样被大脑和外部社会环境同时决定的——特别是那些看上去本不容易沉迷的物种。