A lab rat at Brown’s biology research center wants a little coat too, researchers report. “All of our researchers are required to wear white lab coats on the job,” lab executive Katie Mills explained. “Based on our research, it’s become clear that one particular rat wants a little white coat for himself. The dopamine levels in his brain skyrocket when he is exposed to the coats, and his seratonin went through the roof when we presented him with a swatch of white cloth. We tried offering him tiny test tubes, clipboards, and microscopes, but nothing evoked the response that a tiny little coat did.” At press time, the scientists were itching to run on giant gerbil wheels.

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