It could be said that I had a “close encounter of the fourth kind” with rats back in the early ‘70s when I was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer on the island of Vava’u in the Kingdom of Tonga.
A couple of fellow volunteers bet five Tongan pa’anga, the equivalent of about two U.S. dollars, which was also 10% of my monthly salary, that I couldn’t last a night alone on a nearby uninhabited island.
I loaded up my recently fashioned outrigger canoe with provisions and paddled off in the early evening over crystal clear waters and a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of reef colors. Within an hour, I had set up camp and settled in for nightfall.
After enjoying a few roasted eggs and sweet potatoes over an open fire, I settled down on a bed of coconut tree fronds watching the glow of the fire slowly fade, soon succumbing to the beckon of sleep.
I wasn’t alone. Promptly, the pitapat of something scurrying near me had me on alert. When I felt my hair being tugged, I sat up and grabbed my machete, flailing wildly into the darkness. The island was infested with coconut rats; I was out five pa’anga.
For thousands of years, rats have haunted the darkest corners of our cities and our minds. They’re often blamed for death and disease, but there’s so much more to the story.
Rats are certainly evolutionary heroes of the animal kingdom: They’re escape artists, problem-solvers and master contortionists supremely equipped to infiltrate our world.
However, some recent news about these oft despised rodents have cast them in a different light, having some amazing abilities that have proven to be beneficial for humankind.
In 2021, researchers in Korea demonstrated that trained rats could detect toluene, an odor-producing liquid indicating lung cancer, by jumping onto a floating ledge whenever they smelled the chemical in human breath samples. After more than a thousand tests, the rats achieved an impressive accuracy rate of around 82%.
An Israeli startup company found rats can be taught to detect lung cancer by smell-testing urine samples and are doing so with 93% accuracy.
Michal Mark Danieli, CEO and founder of Early Labs, told The Times of Israel that rats are as accurate as X-rays called low-dose CT scans and that the urine sample can be given at home and mailed in for processing which could potentially eliminate waiting for screening. The training method has a patent in Israel and is patent-pending in several European countries and in the U.S.
The African giant pouched rat has been trained to detect the odor of land mine explosives in Mozambique. These rats are also proving to be valuable medical detection partners, playing an important role in identifying tuberculosis in sputum samples recovered from suspected cases. The rats are fast, taking only 20 minutes to review 100 patient samples.
Rats are seriously super sniffers. Their olfactory bulbs, responsible for processing scents, are significantly larger than those in humans, enabling them to detect odors at extremely low concentrations. They follow their nose to find food, avoid predators and search out potential mates and have over 2,000 smell receptor genes; that’s about 700 more than dogs. They are so good they can detect the location of a smell in a speedy .05 seconds.
A recent curious discovery highlights how rats are capable of manipulating matter around them without any contact — a power worthy of the Jedi Force, but very real, as revealed by researchers at the University of Buffalo and Harvard.
This intriguing behavior occurs when a rat emits an ultrasonic sound and then immediately sniffs the air around it. These ultrasounds produce vibrations in the surrounding air, which may be capable of moving tiny particles and allow rats to enhance their perception of odors.
Rats are among the most intelligent rodents, displaying cognitive abilities comparable to those of dogs. Their intelligence has been studied extensively, revealing their ability to understand cause-and-effect relationships, remember complex paths, and even demonstrate empathy toward other rats in distress. This intelligence makes them not only intriguing to observe but also enjoyable to train.
In some cultures, rats have gained a positive reputation, symbolizing resourcefulness and adaptability. For example, in Hindu culture, the rat is revered as the vehicle of the god Ganesh, the deity of riches and fortune. There are Ganesh temples that serve vast rat colonies.
In Chinese culture, the rat is the first animal of the zodiac and is associated with intelligence, resourcefulness, ambition and also a symbol of wealth.
Among some Native American tribes, rats are revered for their ability to thrive in various environments and are seen as symbols of survival and adaptability. They are considered guides in times of hardship and symbolize the importance of resilience.
In retrospect, had I known of the rat’s superpowers before setting off that fateful evening to that uninhabited island, I might have instead been less violent and a bit more hospitable toward them. Given their altruistic behavior, sense of community, and keen sense of smell, maybe by tugging on my hair they were just looking for a handout, a chance to socialize, or even warn me that I was about to get sick with dengue fever.
Dr. William Kolbe, an Andover resident, is a retired high school and college teacher and former Peace Corps volunteer in Tonga and El Salvador. He can be reached at bila.kolbe9@gmail.com.