The Story of Rats by S Anthony Barnett

The Story of Rats by S Anthony Barnett

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Summary

Explores how rats and humans have lived together and interacted throughout history. Rats are intelligent and sociable animals. They have many similarities with us. Why is it then that the mere mention of the word "rat" sends shudders of horror through most of us?

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The Story of Rats by S Anthony Barnett

'Mr Speaker, I smell a rat; I see him forming in the air and darkening the sky; but I'll nip him in the bud.'An English Member of ParliamentAre rats still a threat to our health and food? Do they think? Is it true that wild rats sometimes die, unwounded, from social stress? Can studies of rat societies tell us anything useful about our own social lives?Love them or loathe them, everyone has a rat story. Throughout history vast numbers of rats of many species have shared our space, our food and our diseases; and they continue to do so.Yet The Story of Rats is more than a tale about how people and rats live together. It is about science and scientists, the problems they solve and fail to solve, and the scope and imperfections of our scientific knowledge of the world. It is a book for those who love rats or fear them; for the curious, the science literate and non-literate alike.Early in the Second World War, equipped only with firs class honours from Oxford University, Tony Barnett was drafted, not into the trenches (there weren't any), but into the sewers, wharves, food stores and other rat-infested environments offered by a London bombed nightly by the Luftwaffe. Thus began his interest in rats and his academic career in Scotland, India, Australia and North America. He is now Emeritus Professor of Zoology in the Australian National University.
'Mr Speaker, I smell a rat; I see him forming in the air and darkening the sky; but I'll nip him in the bud' An English Member of Parliament
Tony Barnett has written a number of books, both academic and for the general public. He has many years of science broadcasting experience and appears regularly on the ABC Science Show. His first job was working on the London underground during the Blitz, where rat-born diseases were a major problem. After the war he worked as an adviser to the Indian government on controlling rats before becoming a professor of biology at the ANU in Canberra.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9781865085197
ISBN 10 1865085197
Title The Story of Rats
Author S Anthony Barnett
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Allen & Unwin
Year published 2001-08-01
Number of pages 216
Prizes Short-listed for APA Book Design Awards 2002 (Australia)
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.