Science Memes

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Asshole Lab Rat (mander.xyz)

submitted 6 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 days ago (1 children)

In this story the researcher's problem was that they let the rat live and used it across multiple experiments

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I am not sure if you're being deliberately contrarian to protect cognitive dissonance, or just wildly ignorant of how studies are conducted.

In the most literal sense a study is made of a battery of experiments that are each run across a series of tests. This is also just "an experiment" colloquially since they're all testing the same area. They do not take rats from say a maze solving study, then give them diabetes for a different study, then give them a brain tumor before putting them in the decapicone (a real product).

I have stolen lab rats marked for death, I know what I'm talking about.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They do not take rats from say a maze solving study, then give them diabetes for a different study, then give them a brain tumor before putting them in the decapicone (a real product).

I figured, but in the meme story this is pretty explicitly what is happening.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

They're probably studying effects of diet on cognitive function.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago (2 children)

The diet experiment is presented as present tense. The cat smell experiment is described with "I once ran an experiment", part of the speaker's "thesis", which is in the past. They are clearly keeping #42 alive to be used in totally separate research, in this fictional The Onion esque scenario.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

huh, this story is really old and of dubious origin but afaict the original websites are down and I can't be bothered going into archives.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It could be made up. Probably really.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

I found a source that includes the second half which makes it more obvious:

Dr. Macho believes #42’s behavior is intentional and aimed specifically at him. “I caught him laughing at me once while I was trying to sort data he’d fucked up. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Can rats even laugh? And what would it look like?’ Trust me, when a rat laughs at you, you’ll know.”

When asked why he doesn’t simply exchange #42 for a less malicious rat, Dr. Macho explained, “You can’t just use an infinite number of lab rats. They start to think you’re a psycho if you keep asking for more.” Dr. Macho sighed. “I feel like I’m living in an annoying Pixar movie where I’m the bad guy – oh, wait….I’m the bad guy. I’m the evil scientist performing experiments on a sassy, smart rat. And my name is Dr. Stu Macho? Oof, yeah, I’m the wrong one here.”

Just behind Dr. Macho, #42 winked and walked directly into his food bowl.