LEFT OSU zoologist Alex Ophir holds a vole, of which he is researching the monogamous and social behavior. Ophi r often uses rodents in his research. He has recent ly received a grant to study the bombdetect ion talents of Afr ican giant pouched rats. BELOW OSU zoologist Alex Ophir holds an Afr ican giant pouched rat, of which the Col lege of Arts and Sciences professor is studying the bombdetect ing talents. Photo courtesy of Alex Ophi r 33 OSU zoologist Alex Ophir seeks to understand rats’ potential for bomb detection. From a pencil, pen and notebook to beakers and test tubes, those hustling across the OSU campus can have a wide array of supplies in tow. But professor Alex Ophir is receiving attention for an addition – much furrier and more mobile than a No. 2 pencil – he hopes will become a very important tool for countries all over the world. Ophir has won a $740,000 research grant to study the bombdetection talents of African giant pouched rats, which can grow to be nearly 3 feet long and weigh up to 4 pounds. With the Department of Defense’s grant, much of Ophir’s next five years will be dedicated to uncovering the range in behaviors these rats express and what makes their ability to detect land mines and bombs “tick.” “What we want to do is get an idea of the capabilities of these animals, the contexts in which these animals behave in certain ways, and how that might translate if one wanted to start training them for various explosives tasks,” Ophir says. The African giant pouched rat is not the first rodent Ophir won a grant to study. Last year, he was awarded nearly $350,000 by the National Institutes of Health to study the monogamous habits and social behavior of prairie voles, which exhibit human-like behaviors of love toward their offspring and mates. Rat Research Could Save Lives By studying these rats in the lab as well as in their native habitat of sub-Saharan Africa, Ophir plans to gain a better understanding of what the professor calls “animal personality.” “The idea is that not everybody who enlists in the army is set up to be a sniper,” he says. “Some are snipers while others drive tanks. A lot of that is based on the special ability of each individual person. The rats are potentially a lot like that as well.” For example, Ophir says some rats might be born with a special ability to explore open spaces while others might be better equipped to search through tight spaces. Therefore, one rat would be better at searching a mine field for explosives, and the other would be effective in combing through cargo areas. Although an organization in Tanzania, APOPO (a Dutch acronym meaning Anti-personnel Landmines Detection Product Development), has been studying these bomb-detecting rats since the late 1990s, Ophir says he hopes unlocking this animal’s personality could significantly shorten the time needed to train these animals. Ideally, a simple blood test after birth would be able to determine what special ability the rat would have. Then training could begin immediately. Ophir says these bombdetecting rats have the potential to save hundreds of people. Not only might American troops use the rats to track down roadside bombs, but also people in countries across the map could put to rest the fear of being killed or injured by landmines, some of which have been hidden underground for decades. “Maybe we’ll see this on the front lines or maybe it will be behind the scenes, but I think it can be very beneficial for the people of our country and others worldwide,” Ophir says. CONTINUES STORY BY Stacy Pettit ‘09 PORTRAIT BY Phil Shockley
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