Rats have long been overlooked as mere pests, but researchers at Drexel University are shedding new light on their fascinating evolutionary history. By scavenging through written records, archaeological remains, and genomic data, they are piecing together the intricate story of how these rodents have traveled alongside humans for thousands of years, adapting to diverse environments and even serving as proxies for understanding human migrations, trade corridors, and societal economics. As the researchers uncover the gaps in our knowledge, they anticipate that a flood of high-quality whole genomes from ancient and contemporary wild rats, as well as lab strains, will revolutionize our understanding of the brown rat’s (Rattus norvegicus) global odyssey.
From Pest Rats to Evolutionary Wonders
Rats have long been written off as official parasites, but the Drexel researchers dont take it lightly. The researchers say that these rodents are indeed gems of evolution, able to offer unanticipated hints about our past and present behavior.
Rats have a tumultuous journey throughout evolution as per the team there are few written records or fables that would hide the truth. They are currently burrowing their way through the vast treasure trove of data, from archaeology to genomics, and painting an increasingly richer picture of how rats have experienced survival along with human expansion.
A prime example is the role of the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, one of the first biomedical research institutions to take wild rats and selectively bred them for laboratory purposes in 1892. The road traveled is but a straight line from their wild versions as used today laboratory strains of rats.
Tracing Rats’ Global Odyssey
As the researchers continue to explore the evolutionary history of brown rats, their findings reveal an intricate tapestry of links between these rodents and human population movements.
From the genetic diversity of rats in different regions and how they have evolved, the team can determine big burry patterns of human migration, trade routes, even economies over time. To work out how anonymous footfall — rat-flailing in barbarous Rome, say — rates a human-mediated event on the scale of one, you need to devise some metric by which to compare the novel approach with an equally extraordinary thing.
The next decade will shed even more light on the lives of wild rats and the history of their adaptations, with thousands of additional high-quality whole genomes to come from ancient and contemporary specimens as well as laboratory strains, due to technical improvements and the intensified interest in rat research. Together with state-of-the-art analytical methods, these resources will allow the team to chart the course of the global rat data as never before.
Demoted From Vermin to Universo-Evolutionary Lords — Rats
The researchers at Drexel challenged the beliefs in a big way for us to begin acknowledging rats. Instead of things to squish, they want us to think of commensals as keys to a better understanding of how evolution works and how our behaviors are linked with the very ancient ecology that is often condemned as filth.
The team is allowing us to explore just that, by illuminating the space which rats cohabit with people in our world and the powerful role they have played in moulding it. And this simple project has the power to change far more than just our scientific insights — it can shape the way we view these long-undervalued animals.
When the researchers further teased out the evolutionary secrets of one of many brown rats, they not only provided insight into our origins but also put another set of eyes on how this world is supposed to be viewed. Rats Might Teach Us More About Our Own History (and Future) Than We Could Have Imagined
