Beacon Transcript

Information which Matters to You

Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Log in
  • National News
  • National News
  • Business
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Technology
  • Health
  • Health
  • Science
  • Science
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Authors & Contributors
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Authors & Contributors
    • Privacy Policy GDPR

Recent Articles

Ancient Babylonian Clay Tablet Holds the First Trigonometric Table

Ancient Babylonian Clay Tablet Holds the First Trigonometric Table

August 26, 2017 By Clayton Meason

The CDC Draws Attention To The Spike In Cyclosporiasis Cases

The CDC Draws Attention To The Spike In Cyclosporiasis Cases

August 11, 2017 By Troy G. Bennett

Travis Kalanick Resigns from His Position as Uber’s CEO

Travis Kalanick Resigns from His Position as Uber’s CEO

June 22, 2017 By Troy G. Bennett

Amazon Refunds Parents Whose Children Made Purchases Without Permission

Amazon Refunds Parents Whose Children Made Purchases Without Permission

June 2, 2017 By Clayton Meason

McDonald’s Has Been Quietly Altering Its Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

McDonald’s Has Been Quietly Altering Its Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

May 21, 2017 By Jennifer Licata

Washington Post Will Be Expanding Its Newsroom

Washington Post Will Be Expanding Its Newsroom

December 28, 2016 By Troy G. Bennett

World’s Largest Rat Once Lived In Southeast Asia

November 9, 2015 By Troy G. Bennett

Email, RSS Follow
"world's largest rat"

The rat was 10 times larger than today’s species.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Today’s rats are nothing, as the world’s largest rat once lived in Southeast Asia and it was far beyond what now lurks through the sewers. Specifically, inhabitants of East Timor had once lived around the same time as a giant rat. Even more, they might’ve led to its extinction.

Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU), discovered the fossils of what appeared to be 7 new species of rats. The largest one of them was 10 times bigger than today’s modern rats. Reportedly, they were roughly the size of a dog.

It wouldn’t be farfetched to call them the subject of nightmares. However, that didn’t seem to be the case for people living in East Timor.

According to their estimations, they traced human life in that region around 46,000 years ago. This implied that they could have co-existed with the giant rats for thousands of years. In fact, there has been evidence that the huge rodents were a food source.

According to lead author of the study and archaeologist, Dr. Julien Louys, they found cuts and burn marks on the bones. This indicates that the giant rats, called part of ‘mega-fauna’, were actually hunted down, killed, and cooked. And, apparently, they were a hefty meal indeed.

By their estimations, the researchers believed that the giant rodents could’ve weight around 11 pounds (5 kilograms). To put it in perspective, one of today’s modern rats weigh a little over 1 pound (0.5 kilograms). This could mean that inhabitants of East Timor had a role in their extinction. Louys attributes this to the fact that it was around the time when metal tools started being introduced in that region.

The development of new means aided the population in more quickly disposing of surrounding forests, as well as serving as exceptional help in their hunting techniques. This might’ve led to the demise of the giant rats.

According to Louys, they’re now trying to establish the earliest records of human appearance around East Timor, as well as what was there before they arrived. If they can find out what lived there before, they could better understand the effects of humans on the ecosystem. It could lead to a better understanding of both the past and the future.

More studies are providing proof that humans and multiple types of mega-fauna co-existed. Earlier this year, another research found that a giant lizard lived around 50,000 years ago in Australia before human settlements. By understanding how they disappeared in the first place and why, it’s in the hopes of the researchers that the scientific community will understand how current species will be affected.

Image source: mainepestservices.com

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Science

Recent Posts

  • Security Guard List As Suspect in 1974 Stanford University Chapel Slaying Kills Himself June 29, 2018
  • Texas Teens Arrested After Decomposing Body of Elderly Woman Found in Garage June 28, 2018
  • Montana Woman in Custody After Forcing Ex to Have Sex with Her June 27, 2018
  • Newly Released Audio Transcript Proves Monalisa Perez Objected to Deadly YouTube Prank June 26, 2018
  • Virginia Woman Shoots New Zealand Man Who Smashed Glass Door with Brick   June 26, 2018
  • Arizona Woman Lied About Kidnapping to Cover Boyfriend’s Slaying June 25, 2018
  • Brooklyn Man Arrested in Niagara Falls Allegedly Chopped off Pregnant Wife’s Arms with Steak Knife June 25, 2018

Related Articles

  • jupiter with the biggest moon of jupiter, ganymede, in front, a satellite, and three moons

    Ganymede, the Biggest Moon of Jupiter, is Revealing New Data (Study)

    May 8, 2018
  • segment of the bayeux tapestry which includes halley's comet

    Medieval Tapestries and Old Scrolls to Offer Proof of the Existence of Planet Nine?

    May 7, 2018
  • stars and galaxies in the universe

    Large-Scale Map of the Universe Reveals Thousands of Early Galaxies (Study)

    Apr 10, 2018
  • landscape view of the milky way and a space observatory

    The Milky Way Might be Getting Bigger, Believes a New Study

    Apr 5, 2018
  • NASA’s Odyssey Captures New Images of Phobos and Deimos, the Moons of Mars

    Feb 27, 2018
  • old book of shakespeare plays open to a page with his image

    Software Reveals Possible Inspiration for 11 Shakespeare Plays

    Feb 14, 2018
  • praying mantis on black background

    Praying Mantis and 3D Glasses Help Discover A New Form of Vision

    Feb 12, 2018
  • two men sitting squatting and looking at the oman desert

    Mars Simulation Tests, Conducted in the Oman Desert

    Feb 9, 2018
  • indian stone tools on grey background

    Ancient Indian Stone Tools Reveal New Things about Humanity (Study)

    Feb 5, 2018
  • Naked mole rats.

    Naked Mole Rats Are Not Affected by Aging, New Study Reveals

    Jan 29, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National News
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Stocks
  • Technology
  • US
  • World

Copyright © 2021 beacontranscript.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact