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https://theconversation.com/im-a-neuroscientist-who-taught-rats-to-drive-their-joy-suggests-how-anticipating-fun-can-enrich-human-life-239029>
"We crafted our first rodent car from a plastic cereal container. After trial
and error, my colleagues and I found that rats could learn to drive forward by
grasping a small wire that acted like a gas pedal. Before long, they were
steering with surprising precision to reach a Froot Loop treat.
As expected, rats housed in enriched environments – complete with toys, space
and companions – learned to drive faster than those in standard cages. This
finding supported the idea that complex environments enhance neuroplasticity:
the brain’s ability to change across the lifespan in response to environmental
demands.
After we published our research, the story of driving rats went viral in the
media. The project continues in my lab with new, improved rat-operated
vehicles, or ROVs, designed by robotics professor John McManus and his
students. These upgraded electrical ROVs – featuring rat-proof wiring,
indestructible tires and ergonomic driving levers – are akin to a rodent
version of Tesla’s Cybertruck.
As a neuroscientist who advocates for housing and testing laboratory animals in
natural habitats, I’ve found it amusing to see how far we’ve strayed from my
lab practices with this project. Rats typically prefer dirt, sticks and rocks
over plastic objects. Now, we had them driving cars.
But humans didn’t evolve to drive either. Although our ancient ancestors didn’t
have cars, they had flexible brains that enabled them to acquire new skills –
fire, language, stone tools and agriculture. And some time after the invention
of the wheel, humans made cars.
Although cars made for rats are far from anything they would encounter in the
wild, we believed that driving represented an interesting way to study how
rodents acquire new skills. Unexpectedly, we found that the rats had an intense
motivation for their driving training, often jumping into the car and revving
the “lever engine” before their vehicle hit the road. Why was that?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
