Certain questions may never be answered. "Does the Bermuda Triangle really exist?" "What really killed off the dinosaurs?" And, for women, "What on earth is that man thinking?"

Though the first two questions remain a mystery, scientists may finally have found the answer to question number three, and the old adage "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus" may not be taken so lightly anymore.

The answer, according to social philosopher and author Michael Gurian, lies not in laziness, sexism or sheer pigheadedness, but in profound differences between the male and female brain, which scientists now have the technology to prove.

Gurian's latest book, "'What Could He Be Thinking?' How a Man's Mind Really Works," combines two decades of neurobiological research.

"The science has been crucial. Wherever I go, I start by showing PET scans and people can see for themselves the differences between the male and female brain," Gurian writes.

PET, or Positron Emission Tomography scans are a form of radioactive imaging that allow doctors to pinpoint in brilliant color the regions in the brain where nerve cells are working during a particular mental task. Using this technology, Gurian found that male brains secrete less of the powerful primary bonding chemical oxytocin and less of the calming chemical seratonin than the female brain.

Translated into everyday life, these findings suggest that while women find emotional conversations a good way to relax at the end of the day, the tired male brain needs to zone out all that touchy-feely chatter in order to unwind -- which is why guys are more likely to grab the remote control and zap through "mindless" sports or action movies.

The conclusion indicates it is not that males are trying to ignore females intentionally when they avoid end-of-the-day chitchat; it is just the lack of oxytocin and seratonin in their brains.

Full Story