Transcript
Announcer (0:00)
This message comes from Natural Resources Defense Council. Join the supporters of NRDC who focus on safeguarding the earth, its people, plants and animals. For a limited time, contributions are being matched 5 to 1 nrdc.org Wait. Hey guys, it's Peter. Once again in your Wait Wait feed. I am so pleased to present to you another episode of how to Do Everything by Wait Wait producers Ian and Mike. On this week's show, they actually answer a question that we've all had but have had trouble articulating. Namely, how do you talk to the dentist when your mouth is filled with dentistry? Now remember, you can only get these episodes of how to Do Everything in our feed for a short while. So if you love the kind of mysteries that Mike and Ian are revealing, make sure you subscribe to how to Do Everything at their own feed. Thanks.
Mike (0:56)
Whenever there's an earthquake, the search and rescue team's first priority is to find people who may be trapped under the rubble.
Ian (1:04)
It's a very hard thing to do. Danielle Giangrasso of the NGO APOPO has been working on a new way to do it.
Dr. Danielle Giangrasso (1:13)
So a major challenge that search and rescue teams face is the limited ability to penetrate deep into dense and complex debris structures to find victims. And so our solution is to work with rats, or as we call them, rescue rats. You can actually go in and navigate these tight spaces that other technologies can't reach and also locate and identify human survivors.
Various Listeners/Guests (1:38)
Wow.
Mike (1:39)
How do the rats tell you that? How do they give you that information?
Various Listeners/Guests (1:42)
Yes.
Dr. Danielle Giangrasso (1:43)
So we've trained them to pull a micro switch on their vest whenever they are in proximity of a human and they pull a micro switch and it triggers a beep back to our base point, our base camp, that they've found someone.
Ian (1:58)
Okay, so I should be picturing these rats wearing vests.
Christina Hunger (2:01)
Yes.
Dr. Danielle Giangrasso (2:02)
Also, they're outfitted with a technology enabled backpack, with a camera, with two way communications gps.
Ian (2:09)
So what happens? Okay, so there's an earthquake. Say there's an area with a lot of debris where you suspect there might be people trapped underneath it, and then you show up with a bunch of rats.
