Rats on the Job
11:43 minutes
Rats. They snack on garbage and spread disease, and no matter how many traps we set, they keep coming back. But for some people, rats aren’t pests—they’re potential employees. Inspector Monique Hammerslag of the Dutch National Police force tells us about the team of police rats she’s training. And Aaron Blaisdell, professor of comparative psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, describes the surprising reasoning abilities of the rat—and what exactly makes them such good workers.
Segment Guests
Aaron Blaisdell
Aaron Blaisdell is a professor of comparative psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Monique Hammerslag
Monique Hammerslag is an inspector with the Dutch National Police in Leusden, Netherlands.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Elah Feder
@ElahFederElah Feder is the former senior producer for podcasts at Science Friday. She produced the Science Diction podcast, and co-hosted and produced the Undiscovered podcast.
About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.