Surprise, mice like to run!

A recent study by two Dutch researchers reveal that mice like to run on exercise wheels. The researchers put exercise wheels in open gardens and forests monitored by motion sensors and video cameras. They found that field mice, on average, would voluntarily approach the wheel and use it for a minute or so before jumping off. Some mice even used the wheels for up to 18 minutes. “When I saw the first mice, I was extremely happy,” said Johanna H. Meijer at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. “I had to laugh about the results, but at the same time, I take it very seriously. It’s funny, and it’s important at the same time.” Turns out, mice aren’t the only animals who like to exercise, rats, shrews, frogs and slugs also gave the wheel a quick spin.

Read the full story on the New York Times.

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