Rats have plagued humans for centuries, but as cities expand, these creatures are thriving like never before, @jrichardson44.bsky.social writes. "Local governments are struggling to control that swell, and there’s an essential first step they need to undertake."

Rat numbers are going up. More urbanization & warming contribute to the increase. The solutions aren't a mystery, but are challenging to accomplish. The 1st step is to start collecting better data on rat numbers & track progress. Here's a gift link to an op-ed I wrote for the WaPo: wapo.st/46p7FAe

The “problem” with vaccines? They so effective at preventing deaths that they create generations of people that question whether disease was a problem in the first place because they have never experienced the horrors of a world without vaccines.

Fwiw, he also says: it is best to actually go online and comment on the federal register rather than call your rep. Communications said that a comment was worth more because people will actually review your comment. Heres the article: www.npr.org/2025/04/17/n...

Yksi maa teki silleen tyhmästi, että tappoi omat majavansa ja toi Ameriikasta eri majavia tilalle (ja me ne ammumme, kun yrittävät tänne takaisin) cartographymaster.eu/studentwork/...

We've been getting a ton of press for our study about urban rats and climate change, but I think a career highlight for me is getting featured on Atlas Obscura! @jrichardson44.bsky.social @atlasobscura.com #rats #climatechange #urbanecology

Our study looking at global trends in urban rat numbers is out now in @science.org Advances. This project started b/c we were frustrated that there were lots of media reports about rat increases, but not backed by solid data. Here, we tried to provide that data: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Well RATS. Climate change might mean more of them. A new paper from @jrichardson44.bsky.social shows that cities with increasing temps and more urbanization ended up with more rat complaints over time. www.sciencenews.org/article/rats...

Our last field lab of Aquatic Ecology each semester is a wetlands survey. It's been so dry that the vernal pool has no water, but the female marbled salamander is waiting w/ her eggs. The other wetland had some water, & Lord Ganesha was exposed by the dropping water levels:

World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week #WAAW My mom is living with cancer for >10 years. Her treatment regimens wiped out her immune system. She took precautionary antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal. Many areas of healthcare rely on antimicrobials to prevent infection.

After submitting my NIH grant (on rodent-borne zoonotic disease risk mapping) this afternoon, I get to sit back and... catch up on grading & letter of rec. writing, while wondering if NIH really will have to pause infectious disease research for 4 years

I added this to my Urban Wildlife course this week (RIP previously used paper). I couched it in terms of what urban niche space is when native species are mostly gone. Are niches stable & waiting for occupants, or pliable & only relevant with an occupant? When does "control" enter the conversation?

Enjoyed my 1st PestWorld meeting in Denver recently - this NPMA meeting was great for interacting w/ stakeholders in pest management that I wouldn't typically have a chance to share our lab's work with (and to learn from). At least 1 new project in the works now, based on remote rat "capture" data.

I'm on a @NIH webinar (which is generally informative), & as so often happens, the speakers entirely overlooked PUI researchers. They listed funding options people apply for during their careers & R15 was not listed in an otherwise exhaustive list. A LOT of valuable research/training happens @ PUIs!

Encouraging words from a cladoceran friend during our Aquatic Ecology exam today:

Macroinvertebrate sampling day on Jordans Branch stream w/ my Aquatic Ecology class:

This morning, I'm Zooming in to a really interesting symposium on urban rats, w/ interdisciplinary presentations on the history of social views on rat presences, disease risk, & animal welfare perspectives on poison rodenticide use. Hosted by U of Helsinki: