DECEMBER 21ST, 2023 UPDATE: This solution is a Reader’s Choice selection of 2023! Thank you for nominating the solutions that left you feeling optimistic this year. After the terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria last week—with thousands and thousands of casualties—rescuers … [Read more...] about Backpack-wearing rats are being trained to find earthquake survivors
Rats
Drones help protect biodiversity on Galápagos Islands by ridding them of rats
The biodiversity of Seymour Norte and Mosquera, two Galápagos Islands, has been threatened for generations by a commonly abhorred pest: rats. Two rat species (the black rat and the Norweigan rat) have disrupted the ecosystems on the islands of Seymour Norte and Mosquera since … [Read more...] about Drones help protect biodiversity on Galápagos Islands by ridding them of rats
Magawa the explosive-sniffing rat is retiring
It’s not often that we hold rats in high regard, but we can certainly make an exception for Magawa, the humble, explosive-sniffing rodent that’s responsible for saving countless lives. Magawa is a Gambian pouched rat, which is quite large compared to North American rats. … [Read more...] about Magawa the explosive-sniffing rat is retiring
Rats can save human lives
As a child, Bart Weetjens, from Belgium, bred rodents to sell to pet shops. Now he’s the founder and director of APOPO, an NGO operating from Tanzania that trains rats to detect landmines. APOPO’s team of mine-sleuthing rats is active in Mozambique, and will begin mine-detection … [Read more...] about Rats can save human lives
Video: Rats laugh when you tickle them
Ode Editors | August 2009 issue … [Read more...] about Video: Rats laugh when you tickle them