Ever wonder why rats are so spectacularly successful in our cities? They live in our walls, our subways, our basements. They flourish in places we find impossible. Why? Because they are critical thinkers, sort of.

City rats face a daily buffet. Pizza crusts. Half a bagel. Spilled fries. But mixed into this feast could be poisons. One careless bite and that is the end of the story. So how do rats survive?

They hesitate.

When a rat encounters unfamiliar food, it often lets another rat eat first. If nothing happens, the observer will join in later. If the taster gets sick or dies, that food is banned forever. Rats remember these lessons for days, which makes poisoning entire colonies difficult. This behavior, known as bait shyness, has been documented for decades. It is a primitive version of critical thinking, eerily similar to what kings and emperors would do to avoid being murdered: make their chefs the tasters.

Now, before you feel offended by the comparison, consider this. Humans are not always as careful as rats. In fact, we are often far worse.

We live in an age of endless information. News, hot takes, rumors, screenshots, and confident nonsense stream past us all day long. Some of it is nutritious. Some of it is toxic. And unlike rats, we often swallow first and think later.

Take vaccines. If you believe the false claim that the MMR vaccine causes........

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