#MouseManners #SociallyAwkwardScience #TouchySubject #AutismAwareness #NeuroLOLgy
**By: TheJestPress.com**
**Mice in Fragile X Study Can’t Tell Friend From Fidget Spinner—Science Calls It “Ultimate Social Faux-Paws”**
Laboratories worldwide were shocked this week by a new revelation: mice engineered to model Fragile X syndrome, a leading genetic cause of autism, are basically the Mr. Bean of the mouse world—they simply can’t tell when they’re being warmly hugged by a fellow rodent or run over by a rogue wind-up robot.
According to the study, when researchers placed mouse A with mouse B, a normal mouse responded with cautious optimism, perhaps offering a tail flick or a polite sniff. Our neurodiverse mice, meanwhile, reportedly offered the same “meh” response whether meeting a new friend or bumping into the cleaning staff’s plastic cheese wedge.
Critics argue the study is unfair, since, in their words, “most people *also* can’t tell if they’re being touched by Steve from accounting or the office fax machine these days.” Still, the science stands: the neurons in these mice’s sensory and emotional brain regions aren’t just failing at social cues—they’re fully locked out of the “Is this a living being or IKEA furniture?” quiz.
When pressed for comment, lab mouse Jerry (who asked to remain pseudo-anonymous since he is, in fact, a mouse) squeaked, “Look, if the choice is a damp lab partner or that lovely plastic Fidget Alexis keeps rolling in, I don’t see the issue.”
Scientists hope these findings will lead to better understanding—and perhaps some kind of “smellier plastic” to aid in identification. Until then, the mice have simply agreed to befriend everything in the cage, animate or otherwise, just in case.
Full results will be published in next month’s *Journal of Mousy Mix-Ups*.
**By: TheJestPress.com**
Leave a comment