For the past few decades, scientists have studied the naked mole rat—a bald, blind creature that looks like a hot dog with teeth and lives for up to twenty-eight years, almost eight times longer than any other rodent. The naked mole rat lives in East Africa, where it is considered a pest by local farmers as it burrows tunnels underneath fields and eats vegetable crops. The breathing rate of the naked mole rat is very low in comparison to other rodents, and it lives in crowded colonies where there is little oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide.
