Scientists stunned at ‘strategic’ mice manipulating experiment

“They’re doing something which may be a little bit more clever than we thought.”
An experiment has suggested that mice are able to “change their strategy” to test the reliability of a reward, says assistant professor Kishore Kuchibhotla.
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[@robertcreighton4635]

Well mice did create the earth. 42 and all that

[@DezorianGuy]

That's pure conspiracy theories. There is absolutely no proof for that.

[@MoonBerryShrimp]

Yes, but that made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

[@rexmundi8154]

Y’all beat me to it.

[@PeterSedesse]

Douglas Adams called this 50 years ago. Hitchikers guide to the galaxy

[@phillipc3286]

Watch the Hitchhikers guide

[@farrier2708]

I thought it was common knowledge that mice are pan-dimensional beings who are actually experimenting on humans. Ergo: Isn't it the ethics of the mice that we should be questioning?

[@robertcreighton4635]

Don't forget your towel

[@Relaxaxolotl]

Hey, Zaphod here, that comment went straight over my heads.

[@farrier2708]

@@robertcreighton4635 Be careful how you use your keyboard, Rob', it seems to be a one minute time machine. Actually, I've got something very similar. This comment was posted in three days time. "May the fourth be with you!"

[@jonjimihendrix]

Any homeowner knows that mice are *SMART.*

[@Dc-alpha]

How better to disguise their real natures, and how better to guide your thinking. Suddenly running down a maze the wrong way, eating the wrong bit of cheese, unexpectedly dropping dead of myxomatosis.

[@boomdagreatred4070]

if there is objection using mice as experiments, what should we use in experiments ...humans?

[@johnhouse8736]

the mice are

[@LongJohnSilver-ti6ci]

Yes

[@christophervaughan2637]

Should we have experiments?

[@davidware9549]

Well it’s about time we just use AI and not have poor mice to be tortured

[@gomperhooblet]

Humans can consent

[@ApiaryManager]

Douglas Adams was right.

[@edwarding4355]

My cat is always testing me.

[@posteroonie]

Isn't this the kind of experiment that advertisers do on humans with their A/B testing? Where's the outrage! 😄

[@knightsnight5929]

Douglas Adams was right! 😀

[@mup_pet]

Many psychologist are looking at the comments on this page, and highly amused that so many comments are so very very similar.

[@KlaxontheImpailr]

Look up Scurry by Mac Smith, it's about mice surviving after WWIII.

[@carldori6172]

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH a 1971 novel by Robert C. O'Brien, well worth a read if you can find a copy.

[@andrewelliott4436]

So Long - And thanks for all the cheese.

[@thomasucc]

Why do this ?

[@leonschroeder4771]

Maybe it was just much less thinking for them to alwys go left or right and they figured theyll still get decent rewards for just going one side always so maybe some reward for no work was better than good rewards for actually working

[@Zonker66]

42... son of a... someone beat me to the reference! Edit: I was really late to the party. Condolences to the Steinbeck fan, that dog just ain't gonna hunt, sir.

[@Thethinker6141]

People over animals

[@silentblackhole]

Rude cutting him off. Let him finish his point. It's not like he was filibusting.

[@SamPKBoo]

This is so ridiculous. The mice are not strategising at all. They don't have the concept of strategy! They are simply showing behavioural flexibility towards the same stimulus. Trying to see which gets them the most water. As strategic as a monkey pressing all the buttons to see what happens.

[@TheHandThatBites]

Of Mice and Men

[@louisfriend9323]

Or the mice' brain just doesn't care about the reward that much that it finds 50% success rate enough. Over time, their hit percentage will get better, but don't confuse their brain optimizing outcomes with conciousness.

[@Aditya-iz8rt]

Consciousness is brain optimising outcomes

[@simonwood1402]

Here i am brain the size of a Planet 🤖 🌎 42

[@KrazeeKeithKash]

I live in Tucson, Arizona, and the pack rats out here are incredibly intelligent… they actually collect things that interest them… they are very intelligent… ✌️😎🎸…….