The Conversation - Why the carousel of news can bring joy

Dear Reader,

Lab rats – the humble workhorses and darling emblems of the biosciences. You've likely heard of them scurrying around mazes of various shapes and sizes, pulling levers and pushing buttons, undergoing a gauntlet of trials and tests to push the boundaries of what we know about biology and behavior. They commonly feature in the research I cover at The Conversation – you'll often find rats and their rodent siblings running along the cutting edge of drug development, neuroscience and the numerous other domains that make up the life sciences.

And now, rats driving the rodent equivalent of Cybertrucks are helping scientists learn about an elusive yet profoundly vital element of life – joy. 

When a scientist at the University of Richmond pitched me a story about what driving rats could teach us about the effects of positive emotions on brain function, I was both tickled and skeptical – it sounded like something out of a Ratatouille-themed fever dream. But talking to the researcher, reading through the literature, watching this story take shape … I found myself swayed by their rodent optimism. And the hundreds of thousands of readers around the world who read and shared this work seemed to agree – how we get to our destination (or Froot Loop treat, as it were), matters just as much as the outcome.

Reading the news these days can feel like you're spinning around an endless carousel of tragedy and outrage. Working in the news, I've learned, feels no different. But with every new study I read and every scholar I speak to, I'm buoyed by the hope I imagine some of these rats feel when they're treading water or running in circles. With every story of incremental breakthrough and instrumental progress we share at The Conversation, I'm reminded that the people who still have faith in the future are legion: There are researchers working day and night to achieve a healthier and happier world; journalists and artists amplifying unheard voices; and dear readers like you – whose engagement and support make all this striving possible in the first place. 

You, dear reader, are the reason we exist. Please support us with a donation at any level that you’re comfortable with. And to spark a bit more joy, our board is matching $75,000 in contributions, so your dollars will have double the impact.

We do this journalism so that you have an informed perspective about what’s going on in the world – so that valuable knowledge, emerging solutions and optimism can be yours to keep you going.

Thank you!

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