Do you like cake? Are you one of those people who never got over childhood birthday parties and the sweet, smoky smell of snuffed candles mingling with buttercream icing? If you murmured "yes" to your computer, then the next sentence you read will horrify you and quite possibly turn you into a PIE person. An old man from … » 2/23/14 1:00pm 2/23/14 1:00pm

If you're in New York and wondering what the rat content of your block (and possibly your home) is, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has a handy map for you to check out. » 1/25/14 6:56pm 1/25/14 6:56pm

I am this rat. You are this rat. We are all this rat. » 12/15/13 11:30pm 12/15/13 11:30pm

Another day, another bestiality lawsuit involving Jay Leno. » 11/18/13 7:15pm 11/18/13 7:15pm

This is a weird one: a veteran American Airlines flight attendant accused by her colleagues of smuggling a pet rat onto an international flight in her underwear has filed a lawsuit against the airline, claiming the accusations have resulted increased customs screenings and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. » 7/07/13 10:01pm 7/07/13 10:01pm

A study (scientific and rat-infested by its very nature) published recently in the International Journal of Eating Disorders is the first ever to establish sex differences in rates of binge eating in animals. Well, not animals, really, so much as the scuttling disease portmanteaus we affectionately call “rats,” but the … » 5/02/13 10:00am 5/02/13 10:00am

Exercise is good for you, or so science has led us to believe. Regular exercise can confer such abstract, qualitative benefits as: stress reduction, anxiety easement, and optimism enhancement. It can also help you look more like your favorite member of the X-Men, minus powers. However, maybe science has deceived us.… » 3/14/13 3:30pm 3/14/13 3:30pm

This is totally the kind of mind-blowing advances we expected we'd find in 2013, growing up way back in the 20th century: a Duke neuroscientist was actually able to link two rats' brains—using electrode implants—so that they could communicate through their minds. » 2/28/13 12:05pm 2/28/13 12:05pm

Good news for people who enjoy being disgusted — New York City, Capital of the World, is being slowly overrun by rats. Sure, NYC has always been a place for rats to come and prosper, but things have gotten increasingly worse in the months following Hurricane Sandy when the flooding and rain forced the rodents to head… » 2/20/13 6:05pm 2/20/13 6:05pm

Before I moved to NYC, I was embarrassingly afraid of rats. Once, I walked out of the back door of my apartment in Chicago and saw a gigantic rat running down the stairs right past me and I screamed so loudly that people on other floors came outside to make sure I wasn't currently in the process of being murdered. But… » 10/31/12 2:31pm 10/31/12 2:31pm

As we all know, everything delicious is terrible for you. That is especially true of sweets, which are so tasty but also can cause nasty things like diabetes. Still, most of us are able to convince ourselves that eating sugar probably won't kill us. Sure, but you know what will happen if we keep stuffing our faces with … » 5/16/12 12:20pm 5/16/12 12:20pm

Rats and mice can be adorable if they are your well-behaved pet, or if they are singing cartoon characters in a heartwarming tale of one Russian mouse family who overcomes adversity while immigrating to New York City and later, Goes West. Otherwise, they're disgusting cesspools of disease, unwelcome interlopers in your … » 10/03/11 5:25pm 10/03/11 5:25pm

If you don't currently have a loved one who, in your old age, will read you passages from your most cherished moments in life, don't worry. » 6/20/11 6:45pm 6/20/11 6:45pm

Everybody freak out: a new study shows sleep deprivation could screw up your brain before you even feel tired. » 4/27/11 6:30pm 4/27/11 6:30pm

Yes, those are rats. Click to enlarge, if you dare. The episode airs Monday night. » 1/06/11 6:45pm 1/06/11 6:45pm

A new study shows that male rats raised with lots of sisters are less attractive to lady rats. So is this research applicable to humans? » 10/22/10 12:24pm 10/22/10 12:24pm