Did someone say rat race?
Because scientists have taught rats to drive and steer their own tiny cars, in what they promise is a legitimate study, and not their idea of a laugh.
The researchers, from University of Richmond in the US (of course), custom-built miniature cars and let the rats go behind the wheel to reach food as a reward.
Apparently, the scientists found mastering the challenging task of driving a car strengthened the rats’ emotional resilience (how did they figure that out?)
And since the brains of humans and rats are similar, this means the results could hold the key to unlocking new mental health treatments for us.
Whether or not we will now share roads with rodent racers remains to be seen.
