Knutson Brian
Psychology and Neuroscience, Stanford University, United States.
Behav Brain Res. 2025 Aug 7;495:115773. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115773.
Over a quarter of a century later, most rodent researchers know that specific types of rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations (USVs) appear to index distinct affective states endowed with arousal, value, and motivational force. Few know the story, however, of how we accidentally stumbled upon 50 kilohertz (50 kHz) USVs in the context of rat play by turning the wrong dial on a bat detector, which I recollect here. The tale of that mistake highlights the critical roles of serendipity, preparation, openness, persistence, and a supportive environment in scientific discovery.
二十五年多后，大多数啮齿动物研究人员都知道，特定类型的大鼠超声波发声（USV）似乎能够指示出具有唤醒、价值和驱动力的不同情感状态。然而，很少有人知道我们是如何在大鼠玩耍的情境中，通过在蝙蝠探测器上误拨了一个旋钮，意外发现了50千赫兹（50kHz）的超声波发声，我在此回忆一下这个故事。那个错误的故事凸显了意外发现、准备、开放心态、坚持以及支持性环境在科学发现中的关键作用。
