Mice Seek Information for Its Own Sake, Brain Study Shows

Since Aristotle first observed that all humans naturally desire to know, philosophers and scientists have wondered whether the hunger for knowledge is uniquely ours. A new study from Columbia University suggests it is not: mice, given the choice between certainty and ignorance, reliably choose to know — even at a material cost. In mapping the neural architecture behind this behavior, researchers have found that the brain maintains separate accounts for curiosity and reward, opening a path toward understanding one of the most distinctly alive impulses in nature.