Everybody hates rats (big mice). Bu

Everybody hates rats (big mice). But in the earthquake capitals of the world –Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey - rats will soon be man's best friends.What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because theycan smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogsare big and they can't get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using asmaller animal to save lives: the rat.How does it work? First，the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, therat's brain gives a signal. This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuersfollow the radio signal. When the rat's brain activity jumps, the rescuers know thatsomeone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. ChristianLinster at Cornell University, New York, says, “Robots‟ noses don't work well whenthere are other smells around. Rats are good at that.” Rats can also see in the dark.They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don't needelectricity!The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International RescueOrganization in Scotland says, “It would be wonderful. A rat can get into spaces wecan't get to，and a rat will get out if it isn't safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history,people will be happy to see a rat in a building (but only after an earthquake, ofcourse).