June 17, 2013

Mice in a “Big Brother” Setup Develop Social Structures



Weizmann Institute research into mouse social behavior finds signs of leadership and reveals “autistic” mouse society

How does a social animal – mouse or human – gain dominance over his or her fellow creatures? A unique experiment conducted by Dr. Tali Kimchi and her team in the Weizmann Institute’s Neurobiology Department provides some unusual insight into the social behavior that enables a social hierarchy, complete with a head honcho, to form.