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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Rats taught to drive tiny cars to lower their stress levels [bbc.com]

Learning to drive small cars helps rats feel less stressed, scientists found.

Researchers at the University of Richmond in the US taught a group of 17 rats how to drive little plastic cars, in exchange for bits of cereal.

Study lead Dr Kelly Lambert said the rats felt more relaxed during the task, a finding that could help with the development of non-pharmaceutical treatments for mental illness.

The rats were not required to take a driving test at the end of the study.

Also at CNN [cnn.com], New Scientist [newscientist.com], The Verge [theverge.com], and Boing Boing [boingboing.net].

Enriched Environment Exposure Accelerates Rodent Driving Skills [sciencedirect.com] (DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112309) (DX [doi.org])

Original Submission