Rats are more human than you think – and they certainly like being around us

Rats are well known to cause problems for humans. But we need a new approach to our relationship with them.

Tobias Linné, Assistant Professor in Media and Communication Studies, Lund University • conversation
Dec. 4, 2023 ~7 min

Naked mole rat ‘longevity gene’ lets mice live longer

When researchers transferred a longevity gene from naked mole rats to mice, the mice lived longer and staved off age-related diseases like cancer.

Lindsey Valich-Rochester • futurity
Aug. 25, 2023 ~6 min


'Clubbing a bunny to death is very effective but it sure does look bad': the inside stories of urban animal control

Here’s what determines if a problematic wild animal is saveable or cullable.

Erica von Essen, Associate Professor of Environmental Communication, Stockholm University • conversation
June 2, 2023 ~7 min

Contraception may be a secret weapon for rat control

A substance typically extracted from a rare Chinese plant may be the secret to humanely and sustainably controlling rats on a large scale.

U. Copenhagen • futurity
Feb. 20, 2023 ~6 min

The Black Death may not have been spread by rats after all

Recent research suggests rats may not have played the critical role in keeping plague going in Europe.

Philip Slavin, Associate Professor of History, University of Stirling • conversation
Jan. 18, 2023 ~8 min

Invasive rats are changing fish behaviour on coral reefs – new study

Rats are disrupting the flow of nutrients towards the sea on many tropical islands – this has consequences for fish behaviour and the wider ecosystem.

Rachel Gunn, Postdoctoral researcher in the Animal Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen • conversation
Jan. 9, 2023 ~7 min

In defence of rodents – why healthy ecosystems need them

Rodents are the most numerous – and least studied – of all Earth’s mammals.

Rosalind Kennerley, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group, International Union for the Conservation of Nature • conversation
Jan. 3, 2023 ~9 min

To protect wildlife from free-roaming cats, a zone defense may be more effective than trying to get every feline off the street

A new study shows that when free-ranging cats are more than a few blocks from forested areas in cities, such as parks, they’re more likely to prey on rats than on native wildlife.

Travis Gallo, Assistant Professor of Urban Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, George Mason University • conversation
April 8, 2022 ~9 min


Sperm from older rats passes on fewer active genes to offspring because of epigenetic changes

Male rats transfer different hereditary information to their offspring depending on their age.

Alexander Suvorov, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst • conversation
March 16, 2021 ~5 min

Naked mole-rats: bizarre rodents speak in dialects unique to their colony

A new study found naked mole-rats communicate with chirps unique to their colony.

Matthew James Mason, University Physiologist, University of Cambridge • conversation
Feb. 8, 2021 ~5 min

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