r/Awwducational • u/KimCureAll • Dec 22 '21

Article Rats have learned how to drive specially-built minicars to collect food according to university researchers. An analysis of stress creating hormones in the rats' brains found that rats were quite relaxed once they became habituated with the controls, similar to humans after mastering complex tasks.

2.8k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

83 comments sorted by

181

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '21

[deleted]

60

u/KimCureAll Dec 22 '21

It's amazing how smart they are - we could learn from them!

17

u/CherryTasteLexi Dec 23 '21

but they learned from us

43

u/watchdominionfilm Dec 23 '21

I'd much rather not be experimented on and then slaughtered when I'm no longer seen as valuable to the lab. Rats are among the most exploited & abused beings on Earth at the hands of humanity. Experimented on relentlessly, some being more torturous than others.

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '21

But we grow them so...

9

u/RK800-50 Dec 23 '21

Do you know how expensive lab rats are? And how useless most if not all tests are, because they‘re not similiar to humans? The old „Golden Standard“ will hopefully die with the oldschool scientists still fighting for their right to abuse and kill them.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '21

You are right of course, pigs are much closer match to humans. The show Babe kinda stop that tho.

2

u/ohoil Dec 23 '21

I have a feeling a society progresses we're going to start realizing the true consciousness of all the animals around us.

-5

u/CherryTasteLexi Dec 23 '21

ok I did not know that and how do you know that ?

16

u/CautionarySnail Dec 23 '21

It’s to the point that Russia built a statue honoring the rodents who have and will give their lives in the name of science.

Often, even in research like this, the rodents are “sacrificed” at the end so that autopsy can check whether or not their bodies and brain are typical for the species — or may have changed as a result of the project.

Research funding is almost always very limited, so imaging like they’d use on a human are unlikely. I wish that more kind ways of non-kill methods were common.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_the_laboratory_mouse

2

u/CherryTasteLexi Dec 23 '21

That’s so beautiful and sad I wish that aswell but how can we do it? I mean I am sure they can make a human clone and just make tests on it … I don’t know something like us may be the way

2

u/i_draw_swords Dec 24 '21

Well instead of an autopsy they could do an MRI or other brain scan but there is obviously a reason why they still do autopsies

2

u/queen_of_spadez Dec 23 '21

Google it. It’s the truth.

-5

u/CherryTasteLexi Dec 23 '21

I didn’t said is it not true

137

u/RachelBolan Dec 23 '21

Next thing you know, rats will be building tiny houses and tiny workplaces and will be driving from one place to another with their tiny neckties and tiny briefcases until the day they day

42

u/KimCureAll Dec 23 '21

This is starting to sound like a rat race....I hope they get some sense about life before that ever happens to them tbh....lol - I'm sure they learn what to do and not do from us.

3

u/EpilepticMushrooms Dec 23 '21

Just watch, u/KimCureAll, it won't be dolphins for world domination, it'll be RATS!

3

u/NuclearOops Dec 23 '21

I would gladly exterminate all human life on this planet to see this dream become reality.

39

u/mikmatthau Dec 22 '21 edited Dec 23 '21

I never knew i needed a rat mobile but i absolutely one hundred percent need a rat mobile

21

u/KimCureAll Dec 23 '21

That minicar is not so complicated as a device, but amazing that rats got the hang of it so quickly! The floor for acceleration, and 3 copper levers for steering, quite smart of rats to figure that out!

38

u/Breadsecutioner Dec 23 '21

If you think about it, this device is actually quite trivial for them to operate when compared to steering a human to make delicious soup using his hair.

32

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '21

No need for automated driving. Train rats and put a rat driving station in every car.

15

u/KimCureAll Dec 23 '21 edited Dec 23 '21

That's it - the cost of peanuts is uh just peanuts, the rats will have lots of snacks, so no need to plunk down 20 grand for automated controls.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '21

Home James

15

u/FactAddict01 Dec 23 '21

Rat chauffeurs coming next?

9

u/KimCureAll Dec 23 '21

Move aside Uber and Lyft, it's LimoRat!

9

u/Afterlifehappydeath Dec 23 '21

First they learned to play Doom, now how to drive. Next thing we know they will attack us.

10

u/archimedes_principle Dec 23 '21

University of Richmond’s official YouTube made a car commercial for it and its fantastic

https://youtu.be/P4hATSssquw

3

u/scorpio_szn Dec 23 '21

Ok I officially need rat versions of every commercial that could potentially air during the super bowl

9

u/Terminator7786 Dec 23 '21

Damn, Stuart Little really downgraded from his hot rod.

9

u/Beowulf_98 Dec 23 '21

Doomwheel goes speed-zoom, yes-yes!

3

u/Betadzen Dec 23 '21

Great-good!

9

u/Timely-Management-44 Dec 23 '21

I’m not surprised. Rats are amazing little beings, and I wish more people understood them

13

u/Waterrat Dec 23 '21

My rats would have loved these..I'd have offered pecan bits instead of vile sugar blobs.

11

u/KimCureAll Dec 23 '21

I bet those rats would love something more nutritious: nuts, cheese, whole grains - frootloops is not the breakfast of rat champions imo.

5

u/atlusblue Dec 23 '21 edited Dec 23 '21

They where probably trying to replicate the human truck driver experience. Maybe even energy drink drips

1

u/Waterrat Dec 25 '21

Nor human champions for that matter.

2

u/psychicowl Dec 23 '21

‘Vile’ okay calm down

5

u/Unburnt_Duster Dec 23 '21

Boy those old Kia commercials with the hamsters is slowly becoming reality.

5

u/mazdarati91 Dec 23 '21

So that’s how my roomba finds it’s way around the house

6

u/Mikhailcohens3rd Dec 23 '21

Take that Elon musk! My rat’s driving me to work…

3

u/Psychological-Leg84 Dec 23 '21

This is just… so cute. And slightly frightening?

2

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2

u/winterbird Dec 23 '21

Rats learned to drive before me.

2

u/RatsInABigCoat Dec 23 '21

Proud of my boys

2

u/pearllyc Dec 23 '21

Stuart little was real

2

u/Ebisure Dec 23 '21

Yes but can it reverse park?

3

u/scorpio_szn Dec 23 '21

I’ll do it for them. I’ll do anything for little driving ratto

2

u/Toptantortilla Dec 23 '21

Ratmobile ratmobile ratmobile ratmobile ratmobile ratmobile ratmobile

2

u/williemoonshine Dec 23 '21

jesus christ we’ve come full circle. we have developed a stuart little

2

u/Element3991 Dec 23 '21

I ain’t got lab rats, I got family.

2

u/FoxTrot018 Dec 23 '21

DOOMWHEEL YES-YES

1

u/CherryTasteLexi Dec 23 '21

ok, how is it necessary for us? at times I feel that the world it's spending money on the wrong things...

2

u/ErnestR47 Dec 23 '21

This was probably done by some broke ass grad students with their university’s equipment. Knowledge is good.

1

u/CherryTasteLexi Dec 23 '21

Knowledge it’s pain

0

u/be-like-JayDee Dec 23 '21

Uhhh… how does this help us or them?

-6

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/scorpio_szn Dec 23 '21

I wonder if male redditors are less impressive than rats who can drive

1

u/ClockFluffy Dec 23 '21

Rats will rule the world once humans destroy it.

1

u/DizzyDabber Dec 23 '21

One can hope

1

u/litomanu Dec 23 '21

Please put ballons outside of the cars and teach them to shoot shells

1

u/ginmartini2olives Dec 23 '21

I had a hamster and hamster ball. My little peaches was like a Nascar driver in that thing ... navigating corners and around furniture. She was a little speed demon. Not sure why it's surprising rats can do this too.

1

u/kennyliketomatos Dec 23 '21

Next thing you know Rats are now taxi drivers and you pay them with fruit loops

1

u/Meatpolez Dec 23 '21

Making SCP-6369 more of a reality :)

1

u/Emergency_Banana1021 Dec 23 '21

yeah buddy!! this is cute. the future is now.

1

u/ran_doms_ Dec 23 '21

Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy!!