Soul Mate Biology

Love, one of the most profound of human emotions, love that accompanies us from puberty to old age, love that follows us from ancient times to modern, from ancient writings, through the Bible and the texts of medieval scribes to modern day books and movies. Through the millennia love has lost none of its secrecy, charm, attractiveness, craziness, even in this digital age, when we are overwhelmed by information.

But what is love? Where does this emotion originate? Are we humans the only living beings feeling this emotion? Can love be explained by some chemical reactions in our brains? Is love just a trick of nature or is love some kind of higher feeling? We do not have definite answers to any of these questions, nevertheless, neuroscience, behavioral science and others have provided us with some, at least partial answers. We know today a great deal more than ever before about what is happening in the brain when we are madly in love. We understand why our hearts beat faster whenwe see the person we love, we know why we sweat and why we feel anxious when the loved one is away from us, and we have some ideas about how feelings of attachment form in the brain. This book guides you through the complicated labyrinth of genes, molecules and brain cells that are involved in the feelings of love, attachment, affection, and also simple sexual reproduction.

Autorentext
Gregor Majdic is Professor of Physiology at the University of Ljubljana Veterinary school and Professor of Physiology at the University of Maribor Medical School in Slovenia. His main scientific interest is how genes and hormones influence the development and function of the brain, and especially how brain function is related to behavior. He also studies adult stem cell treatments in animals and funded a start-up company Animacel, which provides stem cell treatments for animals in several European countries.
After graduating from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ljubljana, his passion for knowledge led him to pursue a scientific career at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and at the University of Texas Southwestern medical school in Dallas, Texas, before returning to his native Slovenia.
He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific articles. He is a member of several international scientific societies and has lectured at many universities in Europe, the USA and Asia. For his development of stem cell therapies in animals, he was awarded two prestigious national awards for the best innovations in the public sector in Slovenia.
He has written numerous popular science articles for various Slovenian newspapers/magazines and is a regular guest on radio and television programs about science. He is also the author of three published books, two fictional historical novels (Gabriel's Passion and White Saracen) and a popular science book for younger readers, Secret of Life, which describes the understanding of sex determination in various cultures throughout history.
Above all, Gregor is devoted to his family, his wife Nada, his son Jakob and his daughter Hana. Together they love to travel around the world (on their own and off the beaten track), to cook, play, laugh and be active in nature; they like rock climbing, mountaineering-skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, scuba diving and other outdoor sports.

Inhalt

Introduction

Two is better than one

Escherichia coli; do bacteria get it on?

* *Amoeba likes the smell

* *Moths in search of love through pheromones

* *Wild bull and placid ox

Of bees and flowers

Clownfish, afterdark secretes of Nemo's parents?

Graceful swan, a symbol of love

Gosling following their mothers

Why only male deer has antlers?

Depraved hooligan penguins

Mouse mating and fighting

Mating like rabbits

Beware, an elephant in the musth

Steenbook, a faithful dwarf antelope

Is there a love in the world of voles?

Romeo and Juliette among chimpanzees

Human love through the eyes of neuroscientist

Origins of human love

Man and woman madly in love

What is love?