Williams, E. Higgins, J. Lee, M. Jones, B. Lin, K.
In the unlikely event of a nuclear apocalypse, the naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) might be the only organism able to persist and rebuild civilization. Herein, we synthesize evidence from a variety of sources – from work on DNA repair mechanisms to observations of the mole rats' social organization – to make the bold claim that this small, wrinkly-skinned rodent will be the victor to emerge from the ashes. Forget cockroaches, naked mole rats are the true heroes of the post-apocalyptic world.