francene--blog. Year 2013
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February 8th

2/8/2013

 
I didn't sleep well last night. When the sun rose, it glinted over a light covering of fallen snow which had turned to ice, breaking the recent mild weather.

What keeps the body in tune with the weather conditions? Even though we are sheltered and warm, our bones remain connected to what's going on outside.

On this morning's BBC Sci/Environment News, I read about the early link between man and a small, furry, insect-eating mammal.

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topnews.in
My mind jumped to a conclusion: Present-day man and rat have a common lineage.

The creature gave rise to all the placental mammals - a huge group that includes whales, elephants, dogs, bats and us - has at last been pinpointed. They could have lived 100 million years ago, with mammals such as early rodents sharing the Earth with the dinosaurs.

Placental mammals - as opposed to the kind that lay eggs, such as the platypus, or carry young in pouches, such as the kangaroo - are an extraordinarily diverse group of animals with more than 5,000 species today. They include examples that fly, swim and run, and range in weight from a couple of grams to hundreds of tones.





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The Pied Piper promised to eradicate rats from the town of Hamlin.

Rats and humans have co-existed throughout history. The Great London Plague of 1665-6 was said to have been spread by the fleas on rats that arrived on ships. They were attracted by city streets filled with rubbish and waste, especially in the poorest areas.

Wealthy doctors, lawyers and merchants, fled the city. Charles II and his courtiers left in July for Hampton Court. However, the poorest people remained in the city. It's estimated that half the population of London died - 100,000 in all.

However, rats thrive to this day.

Rats and mankind co-exist and retain their connection to nature. If devastation occurred, rats would survive but people would find it difficult to adjust.


Carol link
2/7/2013 08:52:57 pm

Fascinating. I hadn't thought about the connection before.

Susie Brown link
2/8/2013 04:03:49 am

This is fascinating and like Carol I had not made that connection either. I live in a suburb with very little issues with rats thank goodness. I haven't seen one in several years so I guess I am good.

AMummys Life link
2/8/2013 05:06:23 am

I can't say that the connection is something that I had ever thought about before though if you believe in the creator God then everything is connected in some way, shape or form.

Alana link
2/8/2013 10:44:06 am

Rats have, as you point out, played a large role in human history. Sometimes we neglect to consider the little things that we think are bad but actually have a degree of good. I've read that the sickle cell trait, for example, also confers a degree of immunity to malaria. I wonder if there has been any good side effect to the co-existence between rat and man.


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    Author

    Francene Stanley, author of many published novels. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books? You'll see them on the sidebar below.
    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life.

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