(dramatic music)
(music stops)
(trap snapping)
- Some may say that that rat had it coming.
- But let's reconsider the rat for a moment, shall we?
(laser sound)
(liquid drop)
(techno music)
- [Woman] Rats, like humans, are one of
the most resilient mammal species on the planet,
and while they've long been maligned
for their disease vector shenanigans,
these unlovable scamps don't get the respect they deserve.
So let's reconsider the rat
with five surprisingly human traits that rats exhibit.
- [Man] Number one, rats laugh.
It was neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp and colleagues
who figured out when rats were frolicking
or anticipating playing with other rats,
they emitted unique 50 kilohertz chirps.
And one thing lead to another,
and well, before you know it,
researchers were tickling rodents with what they call
somatosensory stimulation.
- And because laughter is a stable, temperamental trait,
it can be selected for.
Which means, you guessed it,
scientists created a strain of tickle-loving rats.
- Number two, rats think about thinking.
We humans aren't the only naval-gazers.
A 2007 study by researchers at the University of Georgia
used food as motivator to get rats thinking
about the things they didn't know
and things they did.
- The rats were trained to press one lever
when they heard a short burst of static,
and another lever for a long burst of static.
If they pushed the correct lever,
well, they were rewarded
with a handsome sum of food pellets.
- If they pushed the wrong one, they got nothing.
They also learned that they could get half the reward
without making choice,
just by sticking their face into a food trough.
- Simple enough,
except that the craft researchers started
to mix up the lengths of noises,
which made it more difficult for the rats to classify
the mid-range lengths of noise.
- And here's where thinking about thinking comes in.
When the rats were uncertain about their knowledge,
they'd cut their losses,
essentially admitting they didn't know,
and go for the smaller reward by not making a choice.
- Number three, rats feel empathy.
While some may take issue
with describing rats as empathetic,
the fact is that when a caged mate
is trapped in a restrainer,
a rodent will heroically try to free it,
which makes sense when you think of how social rats are,
and the need for cooperation to survive.
- This study and others conducted by neuro-biologists
from the University of Chicago
demonstrate that the rats not only help
their own cage mates,
but also rats from other strains
that were essentially strangers.
- Number four, like humans, rats take over large cities.
Nearly all major cities have vast underground networks
of thriving communities of rats
living off the discarded largess of humans.
- Rattus norvegicus showed up
on the New York City scene in the 1800s,
and has made itself so ubiquitous,
that its very presence is one of the defining features
of New York City.
They successfully live off the detritus of humans.
Simply follow the droppings and you'll find evidence,
gnawed holes between walls and bricks in buildings
that are just some of their outlaw pathways.
- Number five, rats contribute to science a lot.
Okay, rats aren't exactly volunteering,
but because they're small,
they reproduce easily,
and their genetic, biological, and behavior characteristics
closely resemble those humans,
well, they are ideal to study.
In fact, 95% of all lab animals are mice and rats,
according to the Foundation for Biomedical Research.
- Here are just a few of the contributions
they'd put on their resumes if they had one.
Used for experiments in cases of hypertension,
diabetes,
cataracts,
obesity,
seizures,
respiratory problems,
deafness,
Parkinson's disease,
Alzheimer's disease,
cancer,
cystic fibrosis,
HIV and AIDS,
heart disease,
muscular dystrophy,
and spinal cord injuries.
- Pretty impressive.
With all this in mind,
let us now dwell on the quote in this article from Wired,
given by neurobiologist Peggy Mason.
"I'm perfectly happy thinking of myself as a rat
with a fancy neocortex."
- Hey, if you enjoyed this video,
be sure to check out these three videos as well.
- And don't forget to visit us
at StuffToBlowYourMind.com.
- Animals, they're amazing, right?
They can do all sorts of strange, fascinating things,
and some even have superpowers.
In a new study from the University of Utah,
mother mice who competed for mates
in a promiscuous environment
went on to have sexier sons.
- Humans are pretty weird animals.
Let me count the ways, right?
But our nonhuman compatriots display
weird behaviors of their own,
including some you might think of as being human-only.
(peaceful chord)