Empathy as a 'Danger Antenna' in Rats
Rats are social animals, exquisitely attuned to the emotions of the rats around them. In a new study published in PLoS Biology, researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience show that rats may use this sense of empathy as a way to gauge danger.
Read the whole story at my Animal Minds blog: Empathy as a 'Danger Antenna' in Rats.
Playing with Rats for Science
In a new study illuminating playful behavior in animals, scientists taught rats to play a simplified, rat-versus-human version of hide-and-seek.
Rats picked up the game within a week or two and learned how to alternate between hiding and seeking roles. Rather than offering food, the researchers rewarded successful hiding and seeking behaviors with playful social interactions, such as tickling and petting.
Read more about playful rats at my Animal Minds blog: Rats and Researchers Play Hide-and-Seek.
Emotional Mirror Neurons in Rats
Researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have demonstrated that specific neurons in the rat brain are active both when a rat experiences pain itself and when it observes another rat in pain. The results, published today in Current Biology, suggest that sharing the emotions of others is a common mammalian trait.
Read my article on the study here: Rats Feel One Another's Pain.
