rat

The near-complete genome of a recently extinct rodent elucidates the potential—and difficulties—of resurrecting species.

RNA-DNA complexes that were modified with cholesterol made it into the brains of rats and mice, where they knocked down target genes.

A combination of approaches, including uterus transplantation and the joining of two animals’ circulatory systems, allowed males to bear pups, according to a preprint. But some experts say the experiments were not justified.  

After resigning from the University of New England last year, Geoffrey Bove continues to study the effects of massage on rats in a facility he set up in his house.

Signals from the lateral entorhinal cortex help create “time cells” in the hippocampus, according to some researchers.

Scientists previously thought cortical neurons remained silent during delta waves, but new evidence from rats shows some cells fire in a pattern reflective of memorizing a task.

A study in rats finds that tiny doses of the psychedelic drug DMT may yield positive effects for anxiety and depression, but there could be downsides too.

When researchers removed the reproductive organ, female rats had more difficulty solving a water maze.

Young rats injected with a synthetic cannabinoid have more of the brain’s motivating dopaminergic signaling and fewer numbers of inhibitory neurons than controls.

Inflammation may be a strong contender for the connection between mom’s weight and children’s neurodevelopment, according to lab studies on animals.

Chronic stress tweaks a circuit in the brain that influences how lab rodents make tough decisions. 

The elimination of the biting pests was an added bonus after researchers unleashed a rat-eradication endeavor on the tiny islands.  

These are the first known cases of individuals catching the virus from their pets in Canada or the U.S.

Researchers reduce the severity of hereditary deafness in mice with the delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 protein-RNA complexes that inactivate a mutant gene in their inner ears. 

Upping a gene’s expression in rat brains made them better learners and normalized the activity of hundreds of other genes to resemble the brains of younger animals.

Changes in diet can cause gut microbes to produce acetate, which in turn stimulates insulin secretion and obesity in rodents, scientists show.

Researchers identify and manipulate a signal in the brains of rats that controls risky behavior.

“Blind” rats fitted with a neuroprosthetic device that stimulates the brain when the animals turn their heads to the north or south can navigate mazes as well as sighted rats.

Grid cells—the neurons that function as a spatial navigation system—require input from another set of neurons, a rat study shows.