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Rats

05/16/2018 / By Isabelle Z.

Ratting them out: Rats are better at detecting tuberculosis in children than standard tests

Tuberculosis ranks among the top ten causes of death around the world, mainly in low-income countries. One problem that makes it difficult to treat is the inability to detect it in the first place; the current methods used to find the disease leave a lot to be desired. Cheap smear tests are generally used in […]

01/24/2018 / By Jhoanna Robinson

Lack of hygiene to blame: New research suggests it was fleas and body lice on humans that caused the “black death” of 50 million Europeans in the 14th century – not rats

The Black Death of 1348 wiped out half the population of London within 18 months — with the city seeing five bodies placed on top of one another in a mass grave. The vicious plague eradicated about 50 million people in Europe, which was equivalent to a third of the continent’s population at the time. Back in early times, people believed […]

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