Educator Guide: Voles Don’t Need Oxytocin to Bond

February 25, 2023

A close up photo of two prairie voles sitting next to each other on a white background. — Prairie voles (*Microtus ochrogaster*) form male-female pair-bonds and stick with their partner for life. The molecule oxytocin has long been thought to be important in this process.

Nastacia Goodwin

About this guide

Scientists thought the “love hormone” oxytocin was required to help animals form social bonds. In this Guide, students will learn how a study using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR is questioning that perspective — at least for prairie voles.

This Guide Includes:

Prairie voles can couple up even without the ‘love hormone

Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “Prairie voles can find partners just fine without the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin,” which explores how scientists upended a common understanding of the hormone by using CRISPR technology. A version of the article “Voles don’t need oxytocin to bond” appears in the February 25, 2023 issue of Science News.

CRISPR Explained

Students will learn how CRISPR gene-editing technology works and discuss its applications and its importance to research. Learning Outcomes: Learning about CRISPR and why it is an important technology