<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[The Dish]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://dish.andrewsullivan.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Andrew Sullivan]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://dish.andrewsullivan.com/author/sullydish/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[The Luxury Of Hating&nbsp;Poo]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='580' height='360' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MYrY8aFCUCQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe></span>
<p>It <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20131111-hate-poo-theres-good-reason-why/all">means</a> we don&#8217;t have to worry about predators:</p>
<blockquote><p>What is really interesting is that domesticated rodents, such as mice and rats bred for laboratory use or for the pet trade, do avoid faeces [as opposed to wild rodents, which prefer poo]. As wild reindeer and primates also avoid faeces, domestication isn’t the key, so what is it? [The University of Edinburgh&#8217;s Patrick] Walsh and colleagues believe that for their wild mice, the presence of faeces from other mice at a potential nesting location or near food suggests safety from predators. When the wrong move could land you between the teeth of a bigger animal, perhaps the risk of infection from faecal matter is the lesser of two concerns. Laboratory animals, pets, and livestock are generally at a much lower risk from predators than their wild counterparts, so they can be more selective in their foraging and nesting behaviours. Every animal, the researchers argue, must calculate the trade-off between dodging parasites and surviving another day.</p></blockquote>
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