Mice Give ‘First Aid’ To Unresponsive Friends, Study Finds

A study conducted by neuroscientists at the University of Southern California found that mice engage in behaviors to revive unconscious friends, helping them to recover faster. The behavior included sniffing, grooming, licking, and tongue pulling. The mice were observed to distinguish between different states of consciousness, providing "first aid" to unconscious mice, particularly through tongue pulling which opened up their airways.

The study revealed that mice were more likely to help mice they were familiar with than those they didn't know. This familiarity bias suggests that animals are not responding reflexively, but are considering aspects of the situation and the identity of the animal when forming their response. Mice are commonly used in research laboratories, with mice and rats accounting for around 95 percent of animals used in experiments. Animal organizations continue to call for the scientific community to move away from animal tests in favor of cruelty-free alternatives.