Since Aristotle first observed that all humans naturally desire to know, philosophers and scientists have wondered whether the hunger for knowledge is uniquely ours. A new study from Columbia University suggests it is not: mice, given the choice between certainty and ignorance, reliably choose to know — even at a material cost. In mapping the neural architecture behind this behavior, researchers have found that the brain maintains separate accounts for curiosity and reward, opening a path toward understanding one of the most distinctly alive impulses in nature.