Love is all around us and love is in the air, and if I know my mainstream science reporters, today they will have you believe that love is in our genes too. A new report suggests that variation in a gene called AVPR1A has a small but evident influence on the strength of a relationship, the likelihood of tying the knot and the risk of divorce. It’s news for humans, but it’s well-known that the gene’s rodent counterpart affects the bonds between pairs of voles. The story really starts with these small rodents and it’s them that I now turn to.

Voles make unexpectedly good animals to study if you’re interested in the genetic basis of commitment, because closely related species