HERO RATS SAVE HUMAN LIVES

It may sound like something out of a National Enquirer article, but these rats really do save lives. In this Economist audio slideshow Bart Weetjens, founder of Apopo Detection Rats Technology, discusses training chihuahua-sized rodents to detect landmines and tuberculosis. He developed the idea after reading about explosive-sniffing gerbils and now runs a training and resource center in Tanzania, and his rats have been accredited by International Mine Action Standards. The animals are easy to train, too small to set off landmines, and respond well to new handlers. Most importantly, they are really cute.