Males emit an odour that can stress lab mice out. (Credit: Alexander H. Tuttle)
A new study shows that the behaviour of mice used in scientific experiments was altered by the presence of men, but not women.
The study shows that in the presence of male experimenters and male odours, mice were less sensitive to pain, a phenomenon called stress-induced analgesia.
Lab mice are more stressed when the experimenter is a male, influencing their behaviour and the outcome of the experiment. The mice also showed an increase in body temperature as well as levels of a stress hormone, corticosterone.
Authors conclude that further studies on stress and behaviour relying on mice should indicate the experimenter’s sex in their methodology.
Original research paper published in the journal Nature Methods on April 28, 2014.
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