Rodent control has taken place since 1979 but there is a persistent residual population of rats.

BBC: Calf of Man islet rat-cull project calls for volunteers

Rodent control is the primary strategy for preventing the hantavirus syndrome, according to the CDC.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

We're not sure that Vulcans would endorse this kind of mind meld, though: apart from immediately depriving the decoder rat of self-control, prolonged testing led to the same rodent developing additional sympathetic reactions to the encoder.

ENGADGET

Cameras tracked their movements and were used to control a rat-sized robot that shared a cage with the rodent subjects.

BBC: Rats and humans meet via virtual reality and robotics