Rat
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Stenomys Thomas, 1910
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. Many members of other rodent genera and families are also called rats and share many characteristics with true rats.
Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size; rats are generally large muroid rodents, while mice are generally small muroid rodents. The muroid family is very large and complex, and the common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. Generally, when someone discovers a large muroid, its common name includes the term rat, while if it is small, the name includes the term mouse - scientifically, the terms are not confined to members of the Rattus and Mus genera. Compare the taxonomic classification of the Pack rat and Cotton mouse.
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News tagged with rats
Scientists rescue visual function in rats using induced pluripotent stem cells
Dec 03, 2009 |
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An international team of scientists has rescued visual function in laboratory rats with eye disease by using cells similar to stem cells. The research shows the potential for stem cell-based therapies to treat ...
Researchers create first transgenic prairie voles
Dec 01, 2009 |
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Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have successfully generated the first transgenic prairie voles, an important step toward unlocking the genetic secrets of pair bonding. The future ...
To make memories, new neurons must erase older ones
Nov 12, 2009 |
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Short-term memory may depend in a surprising way on the ability of newly formed neurons to erase older connections. That's the conclusion of a report in the November 13th issue of the journal Cell that provid ...
CPR is successful without mouth-to-mouth, but not without oxygen
Nov 30, 2009 |
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People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them - as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines. But they cannot survive without access to oxygen ...
Stem cells restore mobility in neck-injured rats (w/ Video)
Nov 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing has been shown to restore limb function in rats with neck spinal cord injuries - a finding that could expand the clinical ...
Scientists discover gene that 'cancer-proofs' rodent's cells
Oct 26, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite a 30-year lifespan that gives ample time for cells to grow cancerous, a small rodent species called a naked mole rat has never been found with tumors of any kind—and now biologists ...
Changes in brain chemicals mark shifts in infant learning
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 26, 2009 |
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When do you first leave the nest? Early in development infants of many species experience important transitions—such as learning when to leave the protective presence of their mother to start exploring the wider world. Neuroscientists ...
Smart rat 'Hobbie-J' produced by over-expressing a gene that helps brain cells communicate
Oct 19, 2009 |
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Over-expressing a gene that lets brain cells communicate just a fraction of a second longer makes a smarter rat, report researchers from the Medical College of Georgia and East China Normal University.
Scientists make paralyzed rats walk again after spinal-cord injury
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Sep 20, 2009 |
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UCLA researchers have discovered that a combination of drugs, electrical stimulation and regular exercise can enable paralyzed rats to walk and even run again while supporting their full weight on a treadmill.
Adolescent alcohol expsoure may lead to long-term risky decision making
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Sep 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Picture this. A bunch of adolescent rats walk into a bar and start consuming Jell-O shots. Lots of them.
Mobile microscopes illuminate the brain
Nov 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- By building a tiny microscope small enough to be carried around on a rats' head, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany, have found a way to ...
A biology whodunnit: are rodents helping protect trees from fire?
Nov 12, 2009 |
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Tom Parker has made an unusual find. In California forests and shrubland that burned in 2008, he has spotted Manzanita seedlings sprouting in tight clusters, suggesting that the young shrubs emerged from underground ...
'American Diet' v. Atkins Diet
Oct 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- If people can learn anything from rats, what to eat might be one of the most useful lessons. University of South Florida Professor David Diamond, in the Departments of Psychology, Molecular ...
Flipping the brain's addiction switch without drugs
May 28, 2009 |
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When someone becomes dependent on drugs or alcohol, the brain's pleasure center gets hijacked, disrupting the normal functioning of its reward circuitry.
Spread of Western Juniper Seeds Studied
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Aromatic, evergreen foliage and plump, dusty-blue to nearly purple berries make western juniper appealing, whether it's a small shrub or a lofty tree. The trouble is, during the past 100 years ...
