--- title: "Rodents May Have a “Jedi” Trick to Supercharge Their Sense of Smell" description: "A specialist in the biology of sound has made an incredible observation about the \"Jedi\" smell-powers of mice and rats. " date: "2024-10-16" modified: "2024-10-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rodents-jedi-smell-trick" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "rats" - "rodents" - "smell" - "the digest" --- # Rodents May Have a “Jedi” Trick to Supercharge Their Sense of Smell ![A specialist in the biology of sound has made an incredible observation about the "Jedi" smell-powers of mice and rats. ]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Jedi Nose Tricks A specialist in the biology of sound has made an incredible observation about the "Jedi" smell-powers of mice and rats. While depicted in cartoons and films as being squeaking little menaces, the sounds mice and rats make are actually [ultrasonic vocalizations]() (USVs) that occur at way higher frequencies than the human ear can detect. According to new [research from the University at Buffalo]() in New York, those sounds may be moving matter as well. In a [new study]() published in the journal *Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews*, UB bioacoustics expert Eduardo Mercado III suggests that beyond [flirting]() and [laughing]() with one another, those USVs may serve to stir up dust particles around rodents to supercharge their [already-strong sense of smell](). Mercado cut his teeth studying much larger animals than mice: his background is in [humpback whale song](), which led to him being invited by colleagues to study rodent USVs. Upon doing so, he immediately noticed something that could otherwise be easy to overlook: that immediately after making these uber-high-pitched sounds, mice sniff the air. "That could be a coincidence," he said in the statement, "or it might suggest the two are functionally related." ## Squeak and Sniff By stirring up the dust, rodents may, the researcher posits, be using their [strong olfactory sense]() to decode the pheromones left behind by others who have come by and detect if they were friends or foes — a trick that made Mercado feel like he was "observing 'Jedi' rats." If further study proves the bioacoustics expert's hunch correct, it could be a massive finding never before seen anywhere in the animal kingdom. "This phenomenon has never been observed before, or I believe even suspected, in any animal," the researcher said. "They're creating new pathways of information by manipulating their environment and controlling the molecular interactions of particles around them." In the meantime, Mercado is still apparently tripping out about what he found. "It almost seems like magic," he said. **More on mice:** [*Scientists Use Wild Trick to Create Transparent Mice Where You Can See Their Internal Organs, Like a Clear 90s Nintendo*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()