Conventional wisdom has it that the Black Death was spread throughout Europe by nasty, evil dirty, disease-carrying rats. Well, prepare to have your mind blown (and find a new pet): according to a new ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

When we hear about the "black death," a couple things come to mind: the death of tens of millions of people, and ... rats. Our history teachers taught us that the epidemic from 1347-1353 was likely ...

Age: Immaterial. Just keep replacing them until your child is old enough to contemplate pet-death with equanimity. Appearance: Happily, interchangeable. Oh, gerbils! Cute little snuffly things, racing ...

Kids on TV and in movies always seem to be keeping hamsters and gerbils as pets. They’re small, look cute, and don’t need to be taken for a walk. So why don’t we all have hamsters and gerbils as pets ...