© 2026 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Nov. 10: What Happened and What Comes Next: post-election review with James Dawson

Mice can learn to fight by watching tiny rodent cage matches, study finds

Brain scientists set up "gladiator style" cage matches for mice — and found that simply observing fighting matches can rewire a mouse's brain to resemble those who actually fought.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Pien Huang is a correspondent on the Science desk. She was NPR's first Reflect America Fellow, working with shows, desks and podcasts to bring more diverse voices to air and online.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.