An interesting experiment on rats. Didier Desor's rat experiment - amazing facts about rats

The omnipotent gene: Didier Desor's experiment. February 10th, 2014

Didier Desor, a researcher at the Laboratory of Biological Behavior at the University of Nancy (France), placed six animals in one cage to study the swimming abilities of rats. The only exit from the cage led into the pool, which had to be swam across to get to the food trough.

The experiment revealed that the rats did not swim together in search of food. Everything happened as if they had distributed among themselves social roles: There were two exploiters who had never swum at all, two exploited swimmers, one independent swimmer and one non-swimmer scapegoat.

The process of food consumption occurred as follows. Two exploited rats dived into the water for food. Upon returning to the cage, the two exploiters beat them until they gave up their food.

Only when the exploiters were full did the exploited have the right to eat the leftover food. Let's see what happened next...

In laboratory conditions, male rats at the age of 60 days were placed in a cage of 6 individuals with access to the pool. At the other end of the pool there was a feeder, food from which had to be brought into the cage to be eaten. The rat had to swim a distance of about 1 meter underwater. During the introductory period (2 days) there was no water in the pool; over the next 7 days it gradually increased. Long-Evans (LE) and Wistar (WI) rats were compared.

The rats were divided into those individuals who brought food (28 out of 58 or 48.3% for the WI breed, 27 out of 53 or 50.9% for the LE breed) and those who did not do this, but took food from the individuals who brought it.

Exploiting rats never swam themselves. In order to eat their fill, they limited themselves to constantly thrashing the swimmers. Autonom (independent) was a strong enough swimmer to get food himself and, without giving it to the exploiters, to eat it himself. Finally, the scapegoat, whom everyone beat, was afraid to swim and could not intimidate the exploiters, so he ate the crumbs left by the rest of the rats.

The same division—two exploiters, two exploited, one autonomous, one scapegoat—appeared again in the twenty cells where the experiment was repeated.

To better understand the mechanism of the rat hierarchy, Didier Desor placed six exploiters together. The rats fought all night. The next morning the same social roles were distributed: autonomy, two exploiters, two exploited, scapegoat.

The researcher obtained the same result by alternately placing six exploited rats, then six autonomous rats and six scapegoats in one cage. When placed in a cage with 6 individuals of the same behavior (only “exploiters” or only “workers”), the distribution of rats into social groups was restored: “exploiters” appeared among the “workers” and vice versa.

As a result, it turned out that whatever the previous social status of individuals, they always, in the end, distribute new social roles among themselves.

The experiment was continued in big cage, where 200 individuals were planted. The rats fought all night. In the morning, three skinned rats were found crucified on a net. Moral: The larger the population of the rat herd, the more cruel the rat elite are towards the exploited and the scapegoats.

At the same time, some differences emerged: in a large cage, the exploiting rats created a hierarchy of their deputies in order to use them to impose their power on other rats and not even bother directly terrorizing the exploited rats and scapegoats.

Researchers at the University of Nancy continued the experiment by examining the brains of experimental rats. They came to the unexpected conclusion that it was not the scapegoats or the exploited rats who experienced the greatest stress, but just the opposite - the exploiting rats.

Undoubtedly, the exploiters were very afraid of losing their status as privileged individuals in the rat herd and did not want to one day be forced to work.

American ethologist John Calhoun conducted a number of amazing experiments in the 60s and 70s of the twentieth century. D. Calhoun invariably chose rodents as experimental subjects, although ultimate goal there has always been research predicting the future For human society. As a result of numerous experiments on rodent colonies, Calhoun formulated a new term, “behavioral sink,” denoting the transition to destructive and deviant behavior in conditions of overpopulation and crowding. John Calhoun's research gained some notoriety in the 1960s, as many people in Western countries experiencing the post-war baby boom began to think about how overpopulation would affect social institutions and each individual in particular.

He conducted his most famous experiment, which made an entire generation think about the future, in 1972 together with National Institute mental health(NIMH). The goal of the Universe-25 experiment was to analyze the effect of population density on the behavioral patterns of rodents. Calhoun built a veritable paradise for mice in the laboratory. A tank measuring two by two meters and a height of one and a half meters was created, from which the experimental subjects could not escape. Inside the tank, a constant temperature comfortable for mice was maintained (+20 °C), food and water were abundant, and numerous nests were created for females. Every week the tank was cleaned and kept in constant cleanliness, every effort was made necessary measures safety: the appearance of predators in the tank or the occurrence of mass infections was excluded. The experimental mice were under constant control veterinarians, their health status was constantly monitored. The food and water supply system was so well thought out that 9,500 mice could feed at the same time, without experiencing any discomfort, and 6144 mice consumed water as well without experiencing any problems. There was more than enough space for mice; the first problems of lack of shelter could arise only when the population reached a population size of over 3840 individuals. However, there have never been such a number of mice in the tank; the maximum population size was noted at 2200 mice.

The experiment began from the moment four pairs of healthy mice were placed inside the tank, it took them very little time to get used to it, realize what kind of mouse fairy tale they had found themselves in, and begin to multiply at an accelerated rate. Calhoun called the development period phase A, but from the moment the first cubs were born, the second stage B began. This is the stage of exponential growth of the population in the tank in ideal conditions, the number of mice doubled every 55 days. Starting from day 315 of the experiment, the population growth rate slowed down significantly, now the population doubled every 145 days, which marked the entry into the third phase C. At this point, about 600 mice lived in the tank, a certain hierarchy and a certain social life had formed. There is physically less space than there was before.

A category of “outcasts” appeared, who were expelled to the center of the tank; they often became victims of aggression. The group of “outcasts” could be distinguished by their bitten tails, torn fur, and traces of blood on their bodies. The outcasts consisted primarily of young individuals who had not found a social role for themselves in the mouse hierarchy. The problem of the lack of suitable social roles was caused by the fact that, in ideal tank conditions, mice lived for a long time; aging mice did not make room for young rodents. Therefore, aggression was often directed at new generations of individuals born in the tank. After the expulsion, the males broke down psychologically, showed less aggression, and did not want to protect their pregnant females or perform any social roles. Although from time to time they attacked either other individuals from the “outcast” society, or any other mice.

Females preparing to give birth became increasingly nervous because, as a result of increasing passivity among males, they became less protected from random attacks. As a result, the females began to show aggression, often fighting, protecting their offspring. However, paradoxically, aggression was not directed only at others; no less aggressiveness was manifested towards their children. Often females killed their young and moved to upper nests, becoming aggressive hermits and refusing to reproduce. As a result, the birth rate dropped significantly, and the mortality rate of young animals reached significant levels.

Soon the last stage of the existence of the mouse paradise began - the D phase or the death phase, as John Calhoun called it. This stage was symbolized by the appearance of a new category of mice, called “beautiful”. These included males demonstrating uncharacteristic behavior for the species, refusing to fight and compete for females and territory, showing no desire to mate, and inclined to a passive lifestyle. The “beautiful” only ate, drank, slept and cleaned their skins, avoiding conflicts and performing any social functions. They received such a name because, unlike most of the other inhabitants of the tank, their bodies did not show signs of cruel battles, scars or torn fur; their narcissism and narcissism became legendary. The researcher was also struck by the lack of desire among the “beautiful” ones to mate and reproduce; among the last wave of births in the tank, “beautiful” and single females, refusing to reproduce and escaping to the upper nests of the tank, became the majority.

The average age of a mouse is last stage existence of the mouse paradise was 776 days, which is 200 days more than the upper limit reproductive age. The mortality rate of young animals was 100%, the number of pregnancies was insignificant, and soon amounted to 0. The endangered mice practiced homosexuality, deviant and inexplicable aggressive behavior in conditions of excess vital resources. Cannibalism flourished with the simultaneous abundance of food; females refused to raise their cubs and killed them. The mice were rapidly dying out; on the 1780th day after the start of the experiment, the last inhabitant of the “mouse paradise” died.

Anticipating such a catastrophe, D. Calhoun, with the help of his colleague Dr. H. Marden, conducted a series of experiments at the third stage of the death phase. Several small groups of mice were removed from the tank and moved to equally ideal conditions, but also in conditions of minimal population and unlimited free space. No crowding or intraspecific aggression. Essentially, the “beautiful” and single females were recreated conditions in which the first 4 pairs of mice in the tank multiplied exponentially and created a social structure. But to the surprise of scientists, the “beautiful” and single females did not change their behavior; they refused to mate, reproduce and perform social functions related to reproduction. As a result, there were no new pregnancies and the mice died of old age. Similar similar results were observed in all resettled groups. As a result, all experimental mice died under ideal conditions.

John Calhoun created the theory of two deaths based on the results of the experiment. The “first death” is the death of the spirit. When newborns no longer had a place in the social hierarchy of the “mouse paradise,” a lack of social roles emerged in ideal conditions with unlimited resources, open confrontation between adult and young rodents arose, and the level of unmotivated aggression. Growing population sizes, increasing crowding, increasing levels of physical contact, all this, according to Calhoun, led to the emergence of individuals capable of only the simplest behavior. In an ideal world, in safety, with an abundance of food and water, and the absence of predators, most individuals only ate, drank, slept, and looked after themselves. A mouse is a simple animal, for which the most complex behavioral models are the process of courtship of a female, reproduction and care of offspring, protection of territory and cubs, participation in hierarchical social groups. The psychologically broken mice refused all of the above. Calhoun calls this abandonment of complex behavioral patterns the “first death” or “death of the spirit.” After the first of death physical death(“second death"in Calhoun's terminology) is inevitable and is a matter of short time. As a result of the “first death” of a significant part of the population, the entire colony is doomed to extinction even in the conditions of “paradise”.

Calhoun was once asked about the reasons for the appearance of a group of "beautiful" rodents. Calhoun drew a direct analogy with man, explaining that the key characteristic of man, his natural destiny, is to live under pressure, tension and stress. Mice, who gave up the fight and chose the unbearable lightness of existence, turned into autistic “beauties”, capable of only the most primitive functions, eating and sleeping. The “beauties” abandoned everything complex and demanding and, in principle, became incapable of such strong and complex behavior. Calhoun draws parallels with many modern men, capable only of the most routine, everyday actions to maintain physiological life, but with an already dead spirit. Which translates into a loss of creativity, the ability to overcome and, most importantly, to be under pressure. Refusal to accept numerous challenges, running away from stress, from life complete struggle and overcoming - this is the “first death” in the terminology of John Calhoun, or the death of the spirit, followed inevitably by a second death, this time of the body.

Perhaps you still have a question: why was D. Calhoun’s experiment called “Universe-25”? This was the scientist’s twenty-fifth attempt to create a paradise for mice, and all previous ones ended in the death of all experimental rodents...

I came across an excellent study developing around the arrest of oppositionists on December 31st. Read:

Didier Desor, a researcher at the Laboratory of Biological Behavior at the University of Nancy (France), placed six animals in one cage to study the swimming abilities of rats. The only exit from the cage led into the pool, which had to be swam across to get to the food trough.

The experiment revealed that the rats did not swim together in search of food. Everything happened as if they had distributed social roles among themselves: there were two exploiters who had never swum at all, two exploited swimmers, one independent swimmer and one non-swimmer scapegoat.

The process of food consumption occurred as follows. Two exploited rats dived into the water for food. Upon returning to the cage, the two exploiters beat them until they gave up their food. Only when the exploiters were full did the exploited have the right to eat the leftover food.

Exploiting rats never swam themselves. In order to eat their fill, they limited themselves to constantly thrashing the swimmers. Autonom (independent) was a strong enough swimmer to get food himself and, without giving it to the exploiters, to eat it himself. Finally, the scapegoat, whom everyone beat, was afraid to swim and could not intimidate the exploiters, so he ate the crumbs left by the rest of the rats.

The same division—two exploiters, two exploited, one autonomous, one scapegoat—appeared again in the twenty cells where the experiment was repeated.

To better understand the mechanism of the rat hierarchy, Didier Desor placed six exploiters together. The rats fought all night. The next morning the same social roles were distributed: autonomy, two exploiters, two exploited, scapegoat.

The researcher obtained the same result by alternately placing six exploited rats, then six autonomous rats and six scapegoats in one cage.

As a result, it turned out that whatever the previous social status of individuals, they always, in the end, distribute new social roles among themselves.

The experiment was continued in a large cage, where 200 individuals were placed. The rats fought all night. In the morning, three skinned rats were found crucified on a net. Moral: The larger the population of the rat herd, the more cruel the rat elite are towards the exploited and the scapegoats.

At the same time, some differences emerged: in a large cage, the exploiting rats created a hierarchy of their deputies in order to use them to impose their power on other rats and not even bother directly terrorizing the exploited rats and scapegoats.

Researchers at the University of Nancy continued the experiment by examining the brains of experimental rats. They came to the unexpected conclusion that it was not the scapegoats or the exploited rats who experienced the greatest stress, but just the opposite - the exploiting rats.

Undoubtedly, the exploiters were very afraid of losing their status as privileged individuals in the rat herd and did not want to one day be forced to work.

Bernard Werber "We Gods"

detailed description (pdf)

Upd: the comments expressed doubts that the description corresponds to the experiment. So maybe this is just a fictional story:

People, why not read the English text of the study itself? What is written there is not at all what the writer Bernard Weber later wrote in his book. Didier Desor and his colleagues would be surprised by this interpretation of their research, since they did not divide the rats into 4 groups; they compared the difference in behavior of white Wistar rats and white Long-Evans black-hooded rats. In each case, two groups were distinguished - those who swam, and those who stole food without swimming. Well, the result of the study is that the Wistar rats almost always stole the food of the “non-swimmer” from the “swimmer”, and in the Long-Evans cage it was a complete mess, they stole everything from everyone.

I first learned about this experiment several years ago from Bernard Werber’s book “We, the Gods.” French researcher Didier Desor from the University of Nancy conducted experiments with rats to study their group behavior under conditions of limited access to food.

In laboratory conditions, male rats at the age of 60 days were placed in a cage of 6 individuals with access to a pool. At the other end of the pool there was a feeder, food from which had to be brought into the cage to be eaten. The rat had to swim a distance of about 1 meter underwater. During the introductory period (2 days) there was no water in the pool; over the next 7 days it gradually increased and it became increasingly difficult to obtain food.

As a result of the experiment, there was a social stratification of the test rats, as if they had distributed social roles among themselves: there were two exploiters who had never swam at all, two exploited swimmers, one independent swimmer and one non-swimming scapegoat.

The process of food consumption occurred as follows. Two exploited rats dived into the water for food. Upon returning to the cage, the two exploiters beat them until they gave up their food. Only when the exploiters were full did the exploited have the right to eat the leftover food.

Exploiting rats never swam themselves. In order to eat their fill, they limited themselves to constantly thrashing the swimmers. Autonom (independent) was a strong enough swimmer to get food himself and, without giving it to the exploiters, to eat it himself. Finally, the scapegoat, whom everyone beat, was afraid to swim and could not intimidate the exploiters, so he ate the crumbs left by the rest of the rats. The same division—two exploiters, two exploited, one autonomous, one scapegoat—appeared again in the twenty cells where the experiment was repeated.

To better understand the mechanism of the rat hierarchy, Didier Desor placed six exploiters together. The rats fought all night. The next morning the same social roles were distributed: autonomy, two exploiters, two exploited, scapegoat.

The researcher obtained the same result by alternately placing six exploited rats, then six autonomous rats and six scapegoats in one cage. As a result, it turned out that whatever the previous social status of individuals, they always, in the end, distribute new social roles among themselves.

At the same time, by studying the brains of experimental rats, scientists came to the unexpected conclusion at first glance that it was not the scapegoats or exploited rats who experienced the greatest stress, but just the opposite - the exploiting rats.

And you know what, people, in their social relationships, are not far from these rats. This is not very noticeable when a person has a certain freedom of choice, but it is especially acute in a closed group. It would seem that people are distinguished from animals by the presence of certain moral rules, culture and religion. But as soon as life conditions deteriorate, all these “rules and agreements” simply disappear and the usual animal instinct comes to the fore - the fight for survival. I'm sure everyone can choose examples for themselves.

Text: Katya Chekushina
Illustrations: Vlad Lesnikov

Experiment No. 1

French researcher Didier Desor from the University of Nancy published an interesting paper in 1994 entitled “Study of the social hierarchy of rats in water immersion experiments.”

Initially, six classic white laboratory rats participated in the experiment. When it was time to feed, they were placed in a glass box with the only way out upstairs. This exit was a tunnel-staircase that descended to the bottom of an adjacent glass tank half filled with water. There was a feeder on the wall of the water tank, to which a rat, emerging from a tunnel at the bottom, could swim up and snatch a biscuit from there. However, in order to eat it, the animal had to return back to the hard surface of the stairs.

Very quickly, a clear hierarchy formed among the six participants in this experiment. Two rats became “exploiters”: they themselves did not swim, but took food from the three exploited swimmers. The sixth rat chose a self-sufficiency strategy: it dived for biscuits and successfully protected them from the racket. The most amazing thing was that no matter how many times the scientist repeated the experiment with different rats, in the end, exactly the same distribution of roles occurred! Even when a group included only exploiters, only slaves, or only independents, their community returned to the original hierarchy. If the group was increased, the result was even more impressive. Dr. Desor placed two hundred rats in a test cage. They fought all night. In the morning, three lifeless victims of a social cataclysm lay there, and in the rat community a a complex system submission. Food was brought to the “generals” by “lieutenants” who took it from the working swimmers. At the same time, in addition to the “autonomous”, a class of “beggars” was also formed: they did not swim or fight, but ate crumbs from the floor. Of course, Dr. Desor would not have been a real scientist if (to use a euphemism accepted in the scientific community) he had not donated his experimental subjects to science. After dissection, it turned out that all rats experienced increased level stress. However, it was not the oppressed swimmers who suffered the most, but the exploiters!

At one time, this work made a lot of noise, behavioral scientists drew the darkest conclusions about the fate of society, the futility of revolutions and the genetically embedded instinct for social injustice in us. The view, of course, is petty-bourgeois, but I think there is something in it.

Experiment No. 2

However, a rat's life is not always terrible. Take, for example, a recent experiment at the Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy, in which no animals were harmed. Quite the opposite. During the experiments, the rats consumed strawberry puree at the rate of 40 mg per kilo of body weight along with their main food for ten days. After this they were given alcohol. The control group at this moment drank alcohol without any strawberry ceremonies. True, at the end of the experiment, all the happy participants suffered a hangover, aggravated by the study of the condition of the mucous membrane of their stomachs, which the researchers started. It turned out that rats who ate the berries were less likely to develop ulcers. " Positive effect Strawberry is not only because of the antioxidants it contains, says Dr. Sarah Tulipani, but also because it stimulates the production of natural enzymes in the body.” Who would argue! We also believe that when experimenting with alcohol, many things seem very positive. And strawberries are definitely one of them.

Experiment No. 3
Universe-25

One day, Dr. John B. Calhoun decided to create a mouse paradise. He took a tank two by two meters, installed ceilings in it, laid a system of tunnels with individual compartments and drinking bowls, and at the beginning of 1972, he released four pairs of healthy, genetically flawless mice into this paradise. The tank was always +20 oC, every month it was cleaned and filled with food and nesting material. Universe 25, as Calhoun called the tank, was in a golden age. A hundred days later, realizing their happiness, the rodents began to multiply wildly. The population doubled every 55 days, and no expulsion was expected for the Fall. However, even at the moment of its creation, the “universe” was doomed. After all, number 25 was not chosen by chance. This was already the 25th experiment on rats and mice, and each time heaven turned into hell. The mice, which had multiplied to 600 individuals by the 315th day, already categorically lacked space. Society began to rapidly collapse. Curious classes were formed: “nonconformists”, who huddled in the center and regularly attacked nest owners, “beautiful” - males who were not interested in reproduction and looked after themselves exclusively, and, finally, the “middle class”, who tried at any cost to preserve the usual way of life Violence, sin and even cannibalism flourished in the tank. Eventually, 90% of the females of reproductive age left the population and settled in isolated nests at the top of the tank. On the 560th day, Universe-25 was effectively finished. The population peaked at 2,200 individuals, the birth rate fell, and rare pregnancies ended in the killing of the cubs. The increased mortality did not save paradise: the last eight mice died one after another, never returning to their usual roles or trying to have babies! In his work “Population Density and Social Pathologies,” Calhoun, along with “Universe 25,” buried all of humanity: “Even before we run out of resources, people will suffocate in their cities!” I would like to say: can’t wait! But…

Experiment No. 4

You may have heard about the classic experiment from the 1950s, in which psychologists Olds and Miller accidentally discovered a “pure happiness” zone in the brains of rats. Let's not exaggerate the scientists' good intentions: initially they planned to cause pain to the rats. However, by placing the electrodes almost in the very center of the brain, the scientists unexpectedly discovered that the rat pressed the lever again and again, completing the electrical circuit. Further experiments showed that some individuals are ready to press the lever almost continuously, 2000 times per hour, forgetting about sleep and food. Neither sexually mature females nor physical pain They couldn’t stop the male on his way to the treasured “pleasure button.” The limbic areas of the brain that were stimulated in rats during this experiment were formed at the very dawn of evolution. All mammals, including humans, have them, although it is still not very clear what they are responsible for. So, recently the records of other scientists were made public who, not entirely legally, conducted similar experiments on homosexuals and patients in psychiatric hospitals. The essence of “pure happiness” turned out to be extremely simple: people described this feeling as... a delightful orgasm.

Experiment No. 5
Sex, drugs, loud music

We are at a loss as to what inspired the students of the University of Bari in Italy to do this, but in September 2008, medical literature there was a report on the “effects of ecstasy and loud music on the sexual behavior of white rats." Subjects were given a moderate dose of the drug, then changes in their sexual behavior were recorded. There was none. Scientists have concluded that under the influence of methylenediohimethamphetamine, adult rats lose interest in females. But, if you turn on loud rhythmic music an hour after taking the drug, sexual contacts are resumed. Whether this experience proved the harm of ecstasy or the benefits of loud music - the medical community has not yet decided.

Experiment No. 6

In 2007, Richard Hanson and Parvin Hakimi of Case Western Reserve University in Ohio modified the mouse genome and bred about 500 supermice that were several times more resilient than their relatives. Not only could the mouse superheroes run without rest for six hours, while the average mouse runs out of steam after half an hour, but they also lived longer, maintained reproductive abilities into old age, and also consumed 60% more food than the control group, while while remaining leaner and more athletic. A remarkable experiment not only proved that by modifying just one gene it is possible to significantly speed up the metabolism of a living being, but also that nothing like this will happen to people in the near future. The special commission found it unethical to even think about it. So don't even think about it!

Experiment No. 7
Morphine and entertainment

In the late 1970s, Canadian researcher Bruce K. Alexander came to the conclusion that rats do not have enough entertainment (in fact, it seems that all the scientists in our selection came to this conclusion and the rats had absolutely nothing to do with it). Dr. Alexander was not too original: he decided to study the formation drug addiction. A Canadian scientist volunteered to prove that the persistent addiction of rats to drugs, which has been proven by numerous experiments, is caused by the fact that the experimental animals were locked in cramped cages and had no choice but to entertain themselves with injections. To confirm his theory, Dr. Alexander built a kind of rat amusement park - a spacious dwelling in which there were tunnels, squirrel wheels, balls for playing, cozy nests and an abundance of food. 20 rats of different sexes were placed there. The control group was crowded into classic cages. Both were given two drinking bowls, one of which contained plain water, and in the other - a sweetened morphine solution (rats have a sweet tooth and at first refuse to drink the narcotic solution because of its bitterness). As a result, Alexander's theory was completely confirmed. The inhabitants of the cages very quickly became addicted to morphine, but the happy inhabitants of the park completely ignored the drug. True, some of the park rats tried water with morphine several times, as if wanting to make sure of the effect obtained (as a rule, these were females), but none of them showed signs of regular dependence. As befits a creator, Dr. Alexander could not deny himself the pleasure of playing with the destinies of his charges and at a certain stage swapped some of the park and cage rats. It is quite logical that rodents, suddenly and inexplicably finding themselves in cramped living conditions, immediately became addicted to morphine. But those who were moved to the park of cages turned out to be more cunning. They continued to use the drug, only less regularly - just enough to maintain euphoria, but to be able to perform their basic social functions.

In fact, Dr. Alexander’s experiments radically shook the prevailing theory in medical circles about chemical origin opioid addiction that the addict is unable to control. But the scientific community pretended that nothing had happened, and the experiment was hushed up. But we don’t pretend to be scientific, we can do it!

Experiment No. 8

Yes, the rats managed to experience something that you and I had only dreamed of - mating in zero gravity! The case, however, was completed in a hurry, since the experiment was very limited in time: it took place within the framework of the flights of the special experimental apparatus “Photon”. Transporting rat cages to the ISS, where animals could mate with feeling, sense and arrangement, is too expensive. A rat's life support system in zero gravity takes up a lot of space, and this is the most important resource in the world. orbital station. By the way, you can be proud: in the matter of sex in zero gravity, we are ahead of the rest, since it was our scientists who carried out this experiment with rats on the Photon. Alas, its result can hardly be called successful. By all indications, mating took place, but the females did not become pregnant. However, if we ignore rats, in most cases this is not a minus, but very much a plus.

Experiment No. 9
Gluttony

Perhaps, scientific rats managed to participate in all the sins of humanity (with the help of scientists, of course). Such a primitive sin as gluttony was also not spared. For its full implementation, the brothers Louis and Theodore Zucker bred special genetically modified rats that proudly bore the names of their creators. In fact, the whole purpose of Zucker rats was to consume food throughout their lives. They had heightened feeling starvation and could weigh twice as much as their unmodified ancestors. The rats paid for their sins in this life: they had high cholesterol levels in the blood and a whole bunch of diseases.

Experiment No. 10
Experiment on the experimenter

The logical conclusion of this series of merciless experiments on animals, we believe, was an experiment on humans with rats, which was conducted by psychologist Dr. Rosenthal at Harvard in 1963. He suggested that his students train rats to navigate a maze. At the same time, half of the students were told that they had special rats intellectual breed, which learns very quickly. The other half of the students worked with “ordinary rats.” After a week of training, teachers of “intelligent” rodents received significantly more good results than the students who trained the “ordinary” ones.

As you probably guessed, the rats were exactly the same. Well, firstly, this proves that you should never trust the first professor you meet and agree to dubious experiments: it’s not a fact that you won’t end up being their object. Secondly, believing and agreeing - in some cases means getting an inflated result absolutely from scratch!