*Pioneers in Medicine and Their Impact on Tuberculosis*

African pouched rats for the detection of pulmonary tuberculosis in sputum samples

No one knows exactly how many landmines still litter the world, but it's safe to say: millions, waiting to kill and maim unsuspecting civilians. Clearing them is slow, expensive and dangerous. The founder of Apopo, Bart Weetjens, talks about his extraordinary project: training rats to sniff out land mines. He shows clips of his "hero rats" in action, and previews his work's next phase: teaching them to turn up tuberculosis in the lab.

How I taught rats to sniff out land mines

Training rats to sniff out landmines and diagnose tuberculosis is transforming humanitarian work in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. These highly sociable animals can detect explosives or disease faster and at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. In Mozambique, teams using rats have cut the cost of demining by up to 60 percent, while in Tanzania, rat-assisted tuberculosis screening increased case detection rates by over 30 percent. This approach challenges perceptions about pests and demonstrates how local resources can solve big problems.