Ticklish Lab Rats Giggle for Science

A rat hard at work discovering the neural basis of tickling. (Credit: Shimpei Ishiyama & Michael Brecht) For social animals, living and working together is all about building and shoring up the bonds that tie our lives together. Animals that live and work in concert with one another rely on complex rituals to affirm their connections. Mutual grooming, acts of compassion, social play and other behaviors factor into building trust, but one of the oldest and most reliable methods of bringing species together is touch. And tickling various species of animals is one way scientists are learning more about building tactile trust.