BBC SCIENCE FOCUS - A whiff of your gym bag might make you wince, but your nose could be the key to getting fit. New research in mice suggests there is a link between doing voluntary exercise and the expression of genes that relate to scent perception.
Rodents are used in scientific research for various reasons: they’re small, easy to keep, reproduce quickly and are thought to share genetic and behavioural characteristics with humans.
In a study by Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka and colleagues at the University of California, Riverside, mice were placed on a running wheel. “Voluntary wheel running (VWR) is an intrinsically motivated and naturally rewarding behaviour [for mice], and even wild mice run on a wheel placed in nature,” wrote the researchers in their paper.