Rats and mice might be enhancing their strong sense of smell by using sounds unable to be detected by the human ear.

Rats use ultrasonic sounds to enhance smell, opening doors to innovations in particle manipulation and sensory research.

You might not hear it, but rodents are known to speak to each other in voices so high-pitched that human ears can’t pick them up. Now scientists have found that these vocalizations might have a second purpose – they help them smell better.

It almost seems like magic.” Scientists have known about USVs since the 1950s and previously suggested that mice may use them as a form of communication or a courtship display. The study, published in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews,