Rats in the Driver's Seat

Just Desserts    (Fair Use)

When it comes to grabbing sweets, rats have been known to go the distance.  But why hoof it when you can drive instead?

In order to study rodent neuroplasticity, researchers at the University of Richmond wired up a tiny car.  Seventeen rats were taught to drive it around “in exchange for bits of Fruit Loops cereal.”

Their levels of stress hormones were afterwards tested.  Lo and behold!  Rats that were engaged in this manner were far more relaxed than their stimuli-deprived counterparts.

Lying on the beach eating bon-bons might not be the best retirement plan, after all.  Humans may have more in common with rats than they’d care to admit.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/rats-trained-drive-tiny-cars-relaxing-scientists-report-235733496.html 

Copyright November 4, 2019 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved