One replication of the experiment successfully linked a rat at Duke with one at the University of Natal in Brazil.

BBC: One rat brain 'talks' to another using electronic link

Dr Hussey led an international team of researchers from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville.

BBC: Shark mums 'invest' in newborns

"Boy, have we been doing the happy dance, " Dr Karim, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, said.

BBC: Scientists say vaginal gel cuts HIV-infections by half

David Field, professor of neo-natal medicine at the University of Leicester, agreed better advice was needed.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Warning over infant mortality gap

Miguel Nicolelis, a pioneer of research into brain-computer interfaces at Duke University in North Carolina, worked on the experiments with scientists at the Safra International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal in his native Brazil.

CNN: Do telepathic rats advent biologic computers?

"If we are correct, this is the first time we are seeing a planet forming inside its natal environment, " said Sascha Quanz, an astronomer at the Swiss university ETH Zurich and leader of the team.

WSJ: Possible New Planet Spotted Under Formation