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MEXICO: Ever said, “Let’s put our heads together” to a group of people when trying to tackle a difficult task? Scientists have just literalized this saying—with animal brains.
In a pair of studies released Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, Duke University researchers used electrodes to meld the minds of rats and monkeys. They then had the joint brains carry out a series of simple functions, such as moving a computer generated arm. This is the first time multiple brains have been connected to complete tasks.
The team started by implanting two sets of electrodes in the brains of four rats. They then sent an identical signal to each rat’s brain and had a computer monitor their responses. Whenever the rats produced the same response, they were rewarded with a sip of water. After many trials, the rats learned how to synchronize their responses and were able to do so in 87 percent of cases.
