Nature in a experiment.

Why is blight so far?

Like it sounds so simple.

They had no idea.

But now the data's people.

I find this not only refreshing, but at some level astounding.

Nature.

Welcome back to the nature podcast.

This week on the show, we'll be taking a look at some grimy mice who may have a role to play in drug development.

Plus, we'll be dissecting human influence on the Mississippi's flood risk.

This is the nature podcast for the 5th of April

2018. I'm Adam Levy. And I'm Benjamin Thompson.

Listeners, if you live in a big city, there's a fair chance that you've shared your

living space with a mouse at some point. I mean, I know I have in the past. For many, these uninvited

visitors are pests, but there are also some research groups interested in whether these wild

rodents could be a welcome guest in research labs. Of course, mice are an important model animal

in all sorts of research, including testing new drugs or other therapies.

Laboratory mice are bred to be genetically similar, which reduces natural variation and allows researchers to more accurately compare the effects of a particular treatment.

These mice are well looked after, as David Massapust from the University of Minnesota explains.

Well, a lab mouse lives a very privileged existence, so it lives in a sanitized environment.

It drinks perfectly clean water.

It eats very clean food.

...