African giant pouched rats like Carolina prevented nearly 400,000 new cases of a deadly disease. It's possible because of ...

All trained rats wear a harness equipped with a ball on their chest. When they detect a target, they signal their trainer by pulling the ball, which triggers a sound to indicate their discovery.

Trained through operant conditioning, the rats signal a positive response by holding their nose in a scent hole for three seconds or longer. Handlers monitor and record these responses ...