Davis, Wynne, et al. “The Genetic Divide between NYC’s Uptown and Downtown Rats.” NPR, NPR, Web.
The primary author of this article, Wynne Davis, is a reporter and producer at NPR, Washington, District of Columbia, United States. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from The University of Texas at Austin and has over five years of work experience. Mallory Yu is a producer, editor, and director at NPR and holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Literary Journalism and international studies from the University of California, Irvine. Kelly McEvers is a journalist who hosts NPR’s “Embedded podcast.”
The authors’ article discusses the genetic variation between NYC’s rats in uptown and downtown areas. Their purpose was to inform the audience about the findings from a study on the genetics of the city’s brown rats. The authors note that genes significantly affect how the rats behave, including their movements. They indicate that related rats stay within 200 to 400 meters, even after multiple generations. However, some leave their colony and move up to 2000 meters away, presenting the most significant risk of spreading diseases.
They further note that knowledge about rats’ genetic factors and their impact on movement can significantly aid in pest control. The article’s strength lies in its foundation on research findings. The article’s weakness is the failure to give detailed information about the study.
This article will aid my research by identifying the possible causes of genetic variation in NYC rats. Additionally, it will provide insight into the rats’ behavior and how it can help mitigate pest issues, thereby minimizing the risk of spreading zoonotic diseases to humans. This article aligns with the others in this annotated bibliography because they focus on the behavior of rats in NYC.
Harpak, Arbel, et al. “Genetic Adaptation in New York City Rats.“ Genome Biology and Evolution, vol. 13, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1–28. Web.
The authors of this article are experienced scholars from different higher education institutions. Arbel Harpak and Mathew Combs are from Columbia University, NY, and they are in the biological sciences and ecology departments. Nandita Garud is from the University of California, Los Angeles, CA, and is in the ecology department. Noah A. Rosenberg, Dmitri A. Petrov, Pleuni S. Pennings, and Jason Munshi-South work in the Department of Biological Sciences from different universities in NY and CA.
The article examines a study indicating that rats in New York City have undergone genetic adaptations to urban environments, developing mutations that help them withstand environmental stressors, such as toxins and pathogens. The researchers sought to identify factors contributing to the distinctive traits of NYC rats. The study provides intriguing insights into how wildlife may adapt genetically to urban environments and highlights the need for further investigation into the impact of human activities on animal populations.
Its strength lies in the relevance of the findings for pest control, as genetically adapted rats might be less responsive to conventional methods. At the same time, a notable limitation of the study is its small sample size. The authors suggest that further research be conducted into the complex interactions between humans and wildlife in urban environments.
This article is helpful in my research because it explains how the genes of urban rats mutate to help them adapt to environmental stressors, such as exposure to toxins and pathogens. This study is related to other articles, as it discusses possible causes of genetic variation in urban rats.
Houser, Kristin. “Our Attempts to Kill Rats Are Making Them Evolve at Super Speed.“ Futurism, Futurism, Web.
The author of this article is a staff writer at Freethink and previously worked at Futurism for more than three years. She wrote the article while at Futurism, and her work mainly focuses on science and technology. Futurism, where the article appears, is a reputable science and technology publication read by millions daily.
The article highlights the impact of human efforts to control rat populations, primarily through the use of rodenticides, on the evolution of rats. The article aims to inform the public about the impact of human interactions with rats. It describes how specific genes provide resistance to rodenticides, a trait increasingly common in rat populations. Rats carrying these genes have a higher chance of survival and reproduction.
The authors highlight concerns about the potential implications of this evolutionary change, particularly regarding the health and behavior of rats. While resistance to rodenticides may help rats survive, it is unclear whether this resistance comes with other adverse health effects. They further suggest that the evolution of rats with these resistance genes could lead to the emergence of “super rats“ that are more difficult to control. The article’s strength lies in its provision of essential insights into the unintended consequences of human efforts to control rat populations. At the same time, its weakness is the assumption of the emergence of super rats.
The article is helpful for my research because it explains how human activities, such as efforts to control rats in urban cities, contribute to their evolution, thereby enhancing their adaptability to environmental stressors like rodenticides. The article relates to others since it discusses genetic changes in urban rats due to their interaction with humans.
Katz, Brigit. “Rats May Be Genetically Adapted to New York Living.“ Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, Web.
This article’s author, Brigit Katz, is a freelance writer based in Toronto, whose work has appeared in various publications, including NYmag.com and Flavorwire. This article appears in Smithsonian, a science and nature magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution that offers unique stories about various fields, including science, the arts, and others.
The article examines research indicating that rats in New York City have developed genetic adaptations to survive in urban environments. The author’s purpose is to inform readers about the study’s findings, which reveal that urban rats have genetic mutations that enable them to tolerate specific environmental stressors more effectively, such as exposure to toxins and pathogens. The author explains how the study could have important implications for pest control efforts, suggesting that traditional methods may be less effective against genetically adapted rats.
The author further notes that the findings could have broader implications for understanding the evolution of species in response to human activity. The article’s fascinating insights into the potential genetic adaptations of urban rats are its strength. However, presenting fewer details about the study is a significant weakness of this article.
This article is essential to my research since it will help reinforce the point that rats in NYC have genetically adapted to urban environments in response to human activities that expose them to various stressors. This article relates to others because it tries to explain how the interaction between humans and rats in cities contributes to the latter’s evolution.
McKie, Robin. “Beer and Bagels Please: New York Rats Evolve to Mirror Human Habits.“ The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, Web.
The author of this article is a journalist and the Observer’s science and environment editor. His work has won awards from various organizations. The Guardian, where this article appears, is a British daily newspaper that covers a wide range of stories, including sports, opinion, analysis, and reviews.
The article discusses a study that suggests rats in NYC have evolved to mirror human habits, particularly in their dietary preferences. The author aimed to inform the public about the impacts of their interactions with rats. The study found that urban rats in New York City have developed a taste for high-carbohydrate, high-fat foods, such as pizza and bagels, commonly consumed by humans in the city. The author highlights that the study may have significant implications for pest control, suggesting that conventional methods may be less effective against rats that have adapted to human-provided food sources.
Furthermore, the results may offer insight into how human activities affect animal behavior and evolutionary processes. The article’s strength lies in its provision of fascinating insights into the potential influence of human activities on animal behavior. Its weakness is that it gives fewer details about the cited study.
This article is valuable for my research because it illustrates how human activities strongly influence the evolution and behavior of rats in New York City. The article relates to the others because it discusses how human activities may have influenced the genetic variation of rats in NYC and how this factor can be considered when dealing with pests.
Richardson, Jonathan. “Super Rats or Sickly Rodents? Our War against Urban Rats Could Be Leading to Swift Evolutionary Changes.“ The Conversation, Web.
The author of this article is an assistant professor of biology at the University of Richmond, whose research focuses on species within and around cities such as Brazil and NYC. The publication where the article appears is a network of not-for-profit media outlets that feature news stories and research reports online, along with associated expert opinion and analysis.
The article examines how human attempts to manage urban rat populations could be driving evolutionary changes within these populations and the potential consequences of such effects. The author aims to explain how specific genes confer resistance to rodenticides, which are becoming more prevalent in rat populations, as rats with these genes are more likely to survive and reproduce. The author raises concerns about the potential impact of these evolutionary changes on rat health and behavior, noting that the consequences of resistance to rodenticides still need to be fully understood. The article’s main strength lies in offering valuable insights into the unintended outcomes of human attempts to manage rat populations and emphasizing the importance of further research on the long-term impacts of rodenticide use. However, the failure to give details about the possible consequences of rats’ resistance to rodents is a weakness of this article.
The article is instrumental to my research, as it will help demonstrate how human activities, such as controlling pests in urban environments, may have contributed to the evolution of rats in NYC. The article relates to the others used in this annotated bibliography because it discusses the impacts of interactions between humans and rats in NYC.
“Why Are NYC Rats Getting Bigger.“ AAAnimal Control, Web.
This article is written by a national company specializing in wildlife control, with over 500 service locations across the United States. It appears on the company’s website and is based on the firm’s experience with city wildlife.
The article discusses the phenomenon of rats in New York City growing larger over time. This article aims to explore various potential factors contributing to this trend, including climate change, changes in food availability, and genetic factors. The article offers fascinating insights into the complex relationships between urban environments and wildlife populations, and raises crucial questions about the potential consequences of these interactions.
Additionally, the article emphasizes the need for further research into the factors that may be driving this trend, aiming to better understand the impact of human activity on animal populations. The article’s strength lies in its thought-provoking analysis of the potential causes behind the increasing rat population in New York City. The possibility that the information in the article is designed to favor the company’s interests is a significant weakness.
The article will significantly contribute to my research by supporting the argument that interactions between NYC rats and urban environments are pivotal to rodents’ genetic and behavioral changes. The presented idea relates to other articles, as it evaluates the impacts of human activities on rats in NYC.
Zhang, Sarah. “New York City Has Genetically Distinct ‘Uptown‘ and ‘Downtown‘ Rats.“ The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, Web.
The author of this article is a staff writer at The Atlantic who covers stories related to health and science. She is an award-winning journalist, and her work has appeared in other publications such as The New York Times. The Atlantic is a reputable American magazine that features articles in various fields, ranging from politics to science and technology.
The article discusses a study that found genetically distinct populations of rats in different areas of New York City, with rats in uptown Manhattan having different genetic mutations than rats in downtown Manhattan. The author aimed to inform the public about the genetic variation of rats in urban environments. The study suggests these genetic differences are likely due to geographic isolation and limited gene flow between rat populations in different city areas.
The article offers fascinating insights into the genetic diversity of rat populations in urban environments, highlighting the importance of understanding the factors that shape this diversity. Additionally, the article suggests that the findings have important implications for pest control efforts, as rats in different city areas may require different control strategies. The article’s strength lies in its argument, which is based on scientific findings. Its weakness is that it does not explain the findings in detail, highlighting the significance of continued research into the complex relationships between urban environments and wildlife populations.
This article presents an argument that human activities and habits contribute to the genetic evolution of NYC rats and their unusual behaviors. The article relates to others since it focuses on how the interaction between humans and rats in urban environments influences the genetic variation of rodents.