‘Use the force,’ Mickey: Study suggests that ‘Jedi’ rodents remotely move matter using sound to enhance their sense of smell
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Scientists have debated the purpose of the ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) produced by rodents since the discovery of these sounds in the 1950s. There’s a wide research consensus suggesting USVs are a form of social communication, a courtship display, which though inaudible to humans, might otherwise be compared to the calls of certain birds.
But a University at Buffalo expert in bioacoustics proposes in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews that rodents aren’t vocalizing to whisper sweet nothings, but rather to shake up their surroundings in ways that influence how inhaled particles enter their noses, suggesting that rodents use sound to enhance their sense of smell.
“This phenomenon has never been observed before, or I believe even suspected, in any animal,” says Eduardo Mercado III, PhD, a professor of psychology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. “They’re creating new pathways of information by manipulating their environment and controlling the molecular interactions of particles around them.”
They’re not flirting; they’re surveying their surroundings, he says. It’s a radically different process and the findings could have far-reaching implications ranging from the development of treatments for psychological disorders; to better understanding the evolutionary drivers of many cognitive processes; to technological advancement.
