Woodrats use 'quantity over quality' as a detox plan, study finds

Jan 10, 2025

Woodrats (Neotoma spp.) are one of the only animals that can tolerate large quantities of creosote, a shrub with leaves coated in a chemical cocktail of poisonous resin. The critter's constitution has astounded biologists and represents a decades-long debate—over evolutionary time, how do animals adapt to a deadly diet? Do detoxification enzymes become more specialized or more abundant?