Stephen Dubner

Julia Zichello, as a scientist living in New York, is by now familiar with what you might call the three main categories of rat. The wild ones who live on the streets, the domesticated ones who live in your home, and the rats that are bred to live and die in research labs.

Julia Zichello, as a scientist living in New York, is by now familiar with what you might call the three main categories of rat. The wild ones who live on the streets, the domesticated ones who live in your home, and the rats that are bred to live and die in research labs.

What was the common ancestor?

What was the common ancestor?

What was the common ancestor?

For all the parallels there may be between a rodent like a rat and humans, one gigantic difference is fertility and lifespan. Is that meaningful in any significant way to us?

For all the parallels there may be between a rodent like a rat and humans, one gigantic difference is fertility and lifespan. Is that meaningful in any significant way to us?

For all the parallels there may be between a rodent like a rat and humans, one gigantic difference is fertility and lifespan. Is that meaningful in any significant way to us?

Coming up after the break, what other virtues does the lab rat have?

Coming up after the break, what other virtues does the lab rat have?

Coming up after the break, what other virtues does the lab rat have?

And how did the rat become a lab animal in the first place? I'm Stephen Dubner. This is Freakonomics Radio. We'll be right back. In one recent year, the market for laboratory rats in the U.S. was estimated at $1.5 billion. And that number is expected to rise as biomedical research keeps expanding.

And how did the rat become a lab animal in the first place? I'm Stephen Dubner. This is Freakonomics Radio. We'll be right back. In one recent year, the market for laboratory rats in the U.S. was estimated at $1.5 billion. And that number is expected to rise as biomedical research keeps expanding.

And how did the rat become a lab animal in the first place? I'm Stephen Dubner. This is Freakonomics Radio. We'll be right back. In one recent year, the market for laboratory rats in the U.S. was estimated at $1.5 billion. And that number is expected to rise as biomedical research keeps expanding.

The cost of a lab rat can range from around $25 a piece to a few thousand dollars for a specially bred or genetically engineered specimen. But as many lab rats as there are, they are outnumbered by lab mice. No, they're cheaper. They're smaller. That is Bethany Brookshire. We heard from her in part one of the series. She's the author of a book called Pests, How Humans Create Animal Villains.

The cost of a lab rat can range from around $25 a piece to a few thousand dollars for a specially bred or genetically engineered specimen. But as many lab rats as there are, they are outnumbered by lab mice. No, they're cheaper. They're smaller. That is Bethany Brookshire. We heard from her in part one of the series. She's the author of a book called Pests, How Humans Create Animal Villains.

The cost of a lab rat can range from around $25 a piece to a few thousand dollars for a specially bred or genetically engineered specimen. But as many lab rats as there are, they are outnumbered by lab mice. No, they're cheaper. They're smaller. That is Bethany Brookshire. We heard from her in part one of the series. She's the author of a book called Pests, How Humans Create Animal Villains.

Are there research projects or experiments for which rats are prima facie better than mice?

Are there research projects or experiments for which rats are prima facie better than mice?

Are there research projects or experiments for which rats are prima facie better than mice?