A Difficult Scientific Observation

It’s a scientific belief that merely observing something will affect what is observed. For instance, biologists watching animals in their natural habitats have to find a way to be sure that their watching doesn’t disturb the animals. Even people change their behavior when they know they are being watched, no matter what they are doing. This can make a lot of scientific endeavors difficult. How can we learn about something if not through observation? And simply being observed isn’t the only thing affecting the behavior of animals being studied. Learn about a recent finding that could major impact future scientific observations.

A New Observation on Observers

I have long suspected, the sex of a researcher also affects the behavior of the study subjects. I’ve noticed, for instance, when it’s iguana mating season, that the males in my household don’t care what species a female is, as long as she is female. Of course, not being the correct species reduces the reproductive chances, but for a male with testosterone surging that is a secondary concern.

My suspicions were confirmed in a report in the August 30, 2022 edition of Nature Neuroscience. The authors described how the sex of the researcher influenced ketamine’s effects in mice. It’s inferred that this observation could have profound effects on the interpretation of the results.

In Todd Gould’s lab, scientists couldn’t replicate their experimental results. Confirmation of results is crucial in research work. They were investigating the antidepressant effects of ketamine in mice, by noting how long mice would swim when placed in a tank. When the scientist was male, the mouse’s pain seemed to decrease. Further work confirmed their suspicions: human male scent induced a hormonal release, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), into an area of the hippocampus associated with depression in the mouse brain that allowed ketamine to work as an antidepressant. This hormonal release didn’t occur when women were administered the drug.

The Scientist as a Variable

When conducting research, scientists try to reduce outside effects. Checking the effects of the solvent used to dissolve test chemicals and temperature are standard parameters recorded. However, I don’t recall the sex of the researcher being an included variable. I do recall if the research animal liked the person working with her certainly made a difference. I was trying to make antibodies in a rabbit. She didn’t like me since I was injecting her with antigen but she loved her caretaker. I was only able to work with her successfully when he helped me.

There are many variables to be noted when working with animals in research: their care, age, time of year, etc. Now, scientists need to add the sex of the researcher to their results.

One way you can learn about a species without observing it is through one of my many educational books and workbooks!