In an astonishing blend of robotics and nature, SMEO—a robot rat designed by researchers in China and Germany — is fooling real rats into treating it like one of their own. What sets SMEO apart is its ...

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series called Inside the Lab, which gives audiences a first-hand look at the research laboratories at the University of Chicago and the scholars who are tackling some ...

Rats are incredibly nimble creatures. They can climb up curtains, jump down tall ledges, and scurry across complex terrain—say, your basement stacked with odd-shaped stuff—at mind-blowing speed.