Snails 'become risk-takers when hungry'

The humble snail becomes a risk-taker when he's hungry, according to a new study. Neuroscientists at the University of Sussex have shown that pond-snails have the ability to alter their food preferences in the face of extreme hunger. The team demonstrated that in order to maximise food intake and aid their survival, hungry animals were prepared to risk ingesting a potentially harmful substance that their fully-fed counterparts would always reject. Using brain recording techniques, they determined that it was due to central dopaminergic interneurons which act like a sophisticated control switch increasing risky decision-making as hunger levels rise.