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The history of the world according to rats - Max G. Levy

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TEDEd Animation

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Today, rats are often regarded as the most successful invasive species in the world. The most common species of rat scurried onto the scene roughly 1 to 3 million years ago in Asia. There, they craftily survived Earth’s most recent ice age, and eventually, began living around and with humans— though often at the mercy of human priorities. Max G. Levy traces the entangled history of human and rat.

Why is it wrong to say that rats cause Europe's Black Death?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Director Denys Spolitak
  • Educator Max G. Levy
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Sound Designer Weston Fonger
  • Composer Jarrett Farkas
  • Produced by Gerta Xhelo, Abdallah Ewis
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Shannon Odell
  • Fact-Checker Charles Wallace

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