Researchers in the United States wanted to create a friendlier variety of hamsters.
The result was that the rodents tried to kill each other.
– We were very surprised, says research leader Elliot Albers Daily Mail.
A group of researchers at Georgia State University have inadvertently produced a herd of startlingly aggressive hamsters.
The goal of the lab experiment was the opposite.
By removing the antidiuretic hormones from the rodents, which was achieved by removing a receptor that interacted with the hormone in the animals’ brains, the researchers hoped to improve their “social communication”.
Wild battles broke out
What happened instead was that the hamsters were filled with murderous lust.
Wild battles broke out in the cages between the hamsters, which bit, tore and chased each other.
The researchers noted that the hamsters’ aggression was particularly directed at animals of the same sex as themselves.
Research leader Professor Elliot Albers told the Daily Mail that his team was “very surprised by the results”.
– We do not understand how this system works as well as we thought, he says.
Want to cure autism and depression
Based on the unexpected outcome, the team has concluded that researchers need to reconsider their understanding of the interplay between biology and behavioral patterns.
“The counter-intuitive results show that we need to start thinking about how these receptors work in whole circuits in the brain, not just in specific regions of the brain,” research leader Elliot Albers told the Daily Mail.
According to Elliot Albers, the researchers hope to find a cure for autism and depression through hamster experiments.
– The results are relevant to our understanding of human health.