Curiosity Weekly – “Urban Ecosystems With The Rat Detective”

Host: Dr. Samantha Yammine
Guest: Dr. Kaylee Byers (“The Rat Detective”)
Date: January 28, 2026

Overview

This episode of Curiosity Weekly dives into the vibrant, sometimes mischievous world of urban wildlife, focusing on the interplay between animals, humans, and public health. Host Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. Kaylee Byers, a public health researcher, science communicator, and renowned “Rat Detective,” to discuss the concept of One Health, the impact of urban rats, technology for tracking disease, and how community involvement shapes research. The episode also includes a science segment on giant spider colonies and a concise explainer on the biology of addiction.

Main Topics and Key Insights

1. Discovery of a Giant Spider Colony (01:31–04:22)

• Setting the Scene: Dr. Amin introduces the episode with an astonishing tale — the largest recorded spider colony, spanning 106 square meters, was found in a cave (Vraminor Canyon) on the Greece–Albania border.
• Ecological Oddities: The colony comprised two species — barn funnel weavers (who normally prey on dwarf weavers) and dwarf weavers — coexisting peacefully due to unusual cave conditions:
  • Food Abundance: Sulfur-rich streams foster bacteria, which feed massive midge populations. These midges, in turn, provide ample food for both spider species.
  • Genetic Distinction: DNA analyses revealed these spiders are genetically adapted to cave life, with unique gut microbiomes stemming from their sulfur-rich diets.
• Adaptation and Intrigue: Dr. Amin marvels, “Just when you think you’ve seen it all, nature surprises us once again.” (04:14)

Memorable Quote:

“Picture the giant spider nests in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Well, they’re practically real, only bigger.”
— Dr. Samantha Amin (01:44)

2. Interview: Urban Wildlife and One Health with Dr. Kaylee Byers (Rat Detective) (06:45–23:13)

a. Understanding One Health (07:35–08:15)

• Holistic Perspective: One Health connects human health, animal health, and environmental health.
• Interdependence: “Your health isn’t just about you. It’s also related to... the animals in the environment and the health of the environment itself.”
  — Dr. Kaylee Byers (07:54)

b. Community Role in Wildlife Health (08:15–09:22)

• Local Priorities Matter: Different communities prioritize different wildlife issues.
• Passive Surveillance: Most wildlife disease data comes from public reports — locals sending in sightings or samples.

c. Gender Dynamics in Livestock Vaccination (09:22–10:54)

• Access Barriers: Women globally are less likely to access livestock vaccinations due to caregiving roles, finances, and authority.
• Systemic Solutions: Bringing vaccines into communities can improve access and equity.

Quote:

“It all sort of points again at how complex these systems are. We need to think beyond even just like, go out into the field and test animals for diseases or test people for diseases. It’s what are the social determinants and ecological determinants that impact access to these resources as well?”
— Dr. Kaylee Byers (10:45)

d. Social Determinants Affecting Animal Health (11:15–11:38)

• Income inequality limits people’s ability to care for pets, trickling down to animal health.

e. The Life of a Rat Detective (11:38–12:53)

• Origin Story: Dr. Byers became “Rat Detective” after moving to Vancouver for her PhD despite growing up in Alberta (Canada’s rat-free province).
• What Fieldwork Really Involves: “I tracked rats in the field. I had a rat van. I tested them for diseases. I asked people about their experiences with rats... Rat Detective felt more legit to what I was doing.” (12:15)

f. Urban Rat Populations and Human Impact (12:53–16:10)

• Urban Mythbusting: No one knows exactly how many rats live in cities. Data comes from citizen reports — which are inconsistent and limited.
• Health Risks: Rats spread bacteria, viruses, and parasites (e.g., Leptospira through urine), possibly causing illness and mental distress.
  • “Even just knowing that rats can make you sick, worrying about your children... your pets... leads to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.” (15:30)

g. The Rat Risk Index (16:10–17:56)

• Proactive Management: Traditional approaches are reactive (“see a rat, kill a rat”). The Rat Risk Index seeks to systematically quantify risks according to context (homes, hospitals, food establishments).
  • Focus is on mitigating harms — not just eliminating rats.

Quote:

“When we’re managing rats, our focus has been very reactive and sort of see a rat, kill a rat. Right? But doing that doesn’t necessarily address the harms with them... it’s really important [to] quantify what are these things we’re actually concerned about with rats... and how can we develop a tool cities can use to, to address their own local concerns?”
— Dr. Kaylee Byers (16:21)

h. Urbanization as Conservation (17:56–19:32)

• Cities as Ecosystems: Urban areas can be leveraged for conservation through “greening” (adding green spaces).
• Equity Counts: Greening improves both wildlife habitat and human well-being but must be equitable.

i. New Tools and Technologies (19:32–21:41)

• Genomics in Disease Tracking: Population genomics can reveal animal movement patterns, helping track and manage disease spread (e.g., rats and leptospira, deer and chronic wasting disease).
  • Territorial Rats: “At a city block level, most of the animals in your block might all have, say, leptospira. And I could walk across the street and there could be a hundred rats and none of them would have it.” (20:34)

j. Authentic Community Engagement (21:41–22:58)

• From Engagement to Co-Production: True community-driven research means involving local actors from the start — not just consulting them, but letting them set the research agenda.

Quote:

“What I’m learning a lot about is the difference between what is community engagement versus community-driven work... and that comes down to long term relationship building. Right?”
— Dr. Kaylee Byers (21:54)

3. Science Explainer: The Biology of Addiction (26:17–29:51)

• Modern Insights: Addiction arises from ancient brain mechanisms hijacked by modern substances and behaviors, not personal failing.
• Dopamine Wiring: Pleasure-seeking and pain-avoidance are survival tools that can now be triggered excessively (e.g., drugs, gambling, social media).
• Tolerance and Withdrawal: The brain adapts by reducing dopamine responsiveness, leading to dependence and withdrawal symptoms when the substance/behavior is stopped.
• Hope in Recovery: Neuroplasticity enables recovery — support and interventions matter.

Key Segment:

“Our brains eventually get used to that dopamine surge, and they compensate by lowering the efficiency of signaling and availability of dopamine receptors. This is what happens when you build a tolerance...”
— Dr. Samantha Amin (27:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dr. Amin’s vivid description of the spider colony:
  “Picture the giant spider nests in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Well, they’re practically real, only bigger.” (01:44)

• Dr. Byers on One Health:
  “Your health isn’t just about you. Your health is also related to and intimately connected with the health of other people around you, the health of the animals in the environment, and the health of the environment itself.” (07:54)

• Dr. Byers on social determinants for both animal and human health:
  “If you have a lower income... you might not be able to take your pet to the vet, which means... you might not be able to care for them in that way.” (11:17)

• Humor and candor in fieldwork:
  “Rat Detective felt more legit to what I was doing, which was essentially lurking in alleys observing rats.” (12:29)

• On rat risk:
  “Just knowing that rats can make you sick... it also spans out to, well, if you don’t see anything being done about it in your building or in your city, well, then that leads to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.” (15:30)

• The challenge of data collection:
  “We have zero idea actually how many rats there are in our cities... I’ve touched like 700 rats, have never called that [report] line one time.” (13:12)

Timestamps for Main Segments

• Giant Spider Colony: 01:31–04:22
• One Health and Urban Rats (with Dr. Byers): 06:45–23:13
  • One Health: 07:35
  • Gender and Vaccination: 09:22
  • The Rat Detective: 11:38
  • City Rat Impact: 12:53
  • The Rat Risk Index: 16:10
  • Cities as Ecosystems: 17:56
  • Genomics & Disease Tracking: 19:32
  • Community Engagement: 21:41
• Biology of Addiction: 26:17–29:51

Closing Thoughts

Dr. Samantha Yammine wraps the episode by bridging topics: from extraordinary spider colonies and the secret lives of urban rats to social justice in science and rethinking our relationship with cities and wildness. Dr. Byers’ perspective encourages listeners to see urban landscapes as ecosystems teeming with life — and to understand that both positive solutions and persistent problems grow from the subtle, surprising connections between people, animals, and the places they cohabitate.