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A fruit bat in the hands of a researcher
How an Early Warning Radar Could Prevent Future Pandemics
Metagenomic sequencing can help detect unknown pathogens, but its widespread use faces challenges.
How an Early Warning Radar Could Prevent Future Pandemics
How an Early Warning Radar Could Prevent Future Pandemics

Metagenomic sequencing can help detect unknown pathogens, but its widespread use faces challenges.

Metagenomic sequencing can help detect unknown pathogens, but its widespread use faces challenges.

zoonotic diseases

Three flying foxes (a type of bat) hanging upside down on a bare branch
Climate Change, Deforestation Drive Bat Virus Spillover Into Humans
Amanda Heidt | Nov 17, 2022 | 4 min read
Bats that experience food shortages due to climate change and habitat loss end up roosting in urban settings, where they shed more of the deadly Hendra virus. 
Organic food - flat design style colorful illustration. A composition with male, female characters, family, a big plate of vegetables, vegetarian salad, carrot, pepper, greens. Healthy lifestyle
Opinion: Eating Right to Avoid Catastrophe
Giulia Wegner and Kris A. Murray | Oct 3, 2022 | 5 min read
The key to averting cataclysmic events, such as pandemics, climate change, and mass extinction of species, lies partly in what’s on our plates.
What Could Cause the Next Pandemic?
What Could Cause the Next Pandemic?
The Scientist | 2 min read
Scientists prepare for the future by filling in the research gaps between zoonotic viral reservoirs, emerging viruses, and human immune defenses.
An Italian greyhound curled up by a window
Opinion: A Dog Has Caught Monkeypox from One of Its Owners, Highlighting Risk of the Virus Infecting Pets and Wild Animals
Amy Macneill, The Conversation | Aug 19, 2022 | 5 min read
The monkeypox virus can easily spread between humans and animals. A veterinary virologist explains how the virus could go from people to wild animals in the USand why that could be a problem. 
Countless bats swarming in the evening dusk
Bat Coronaviruses May Infect Tens of Thousands of People Yearly
Andy Carstens | Aug 10, 2022 | 2 min read
Parts of Southeast Asia where human and bat population densities are highest could be infection hotspots, a study finds.
Mosquitos flying at sunset
Climate Change Worsens Most Infectious Diseases
Andy Carstens | Aug 8, 2022 | 2 min read
Of the pathogens known to have infected humans, more than half may cause more widespread disease as a result of rising temperatures, precipitation changes, or other climate-related factors, a study finds.
map showing Tanzania
Unidentified Bleeding Disease Kills Three in Tanzania
Andy Carstens | Jul 15, 2022 | 1 min read
Thirteen people with the illness have tested negative for Ebola and Marburg. The Tanzanian government continues to investigate the source.
animation showing how proximity affects viral transmission
Monkeypox Likely Spread Undetected in US Before Recent Reports  
Andy Carstens | Jun 6, 2022 | 2 min read
Two strains of monkeypox have been detected in the US, suggesting the virus has been circulating in the country for some time, the CDC says.
Grey and white image of transmission electron tomography of monkeypox virus
US Case Adds to Unusual Monkeypox Outbreak
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 19, 2022 | 4 min read
Experts are scrambling to understand clusters of the normally rare disease that have been reported in Europe and North America in the last month.
A young white-tailed deer in the snow
Possible Case of Deer-To-Human SARS-CoV-2 Transmission
Catherine Offord | Mar 3, 2022 | 2 min read
Canadian researchers identify a highly mutated variant of the virus in white-tailed deer and link it to a human COVID-19 case in the region—though they emphasize that the infection risk to people is low.
Raccoon dog behind bars of a cage
New Preprints Further Implicate Market in Pandemic’s Origins
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Feb 28, 2022 | 4 min read
Three studies that analyzed samples from Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market add to evidence that SARS-CoV-2 has zoonotic origins.
Small group of Scimitar-horned oryx
Tool Identifies Likely Reservoir Species for SARS-CoV-2
Emma Yasinski | Nov 16, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers used sequencing data and phenotypic traits to predict which of 5,400 species were most likely to be susceptible to contracting and spreading the virus back to humans.
Deer at grass field with autumn trees at the background stock photo
Researchers Detect Coronavirus in Iowa Deer
Chloe Tenn | Nov 3, 2021 | 3 min read
Multiple white tailed deer tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 likely transmitted from humans, a study finds, indicating the species could act as a reservoir for the virus.
black and white electron microscope image showing oval-shaped mature monkeypox virions as well as rounder immature ones
Texas Monkeypox Case Underscores Need for Better Surveillance
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Jul 30, 2021 | 5 min read
A patient caught the rare disease in Nigeria before flying through two US airports, exposing more than 200 people from 27 states.
A stylized, computer-generated 3D render of a virus cell that looks similar to SARS-CoV-2
Two New Coronaviruses Make the Leap into Humans
Amanda Heidt | May 20, 2021 | 3 min read
Two viruses from dogs and pigs were isolated from human patients, but neither was proven to cause severe disease or to transmit to other people.
Illustration of a coronavirus
COVID-19’s Origins Need Further Investigation, Say Scientists
Catherine Offord | May 14, 2021 | 2 min read
A letter signed by 18 researchers argues that hypotheses about zoonotic spillover or accidental lab release both “remain viable” in the absence of additional evidence.
Q&A: New Tool Ranks Viruses by Their Risk of Jumping to Humans
Jef Akst | Apr 9, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers involved in a long-term project to identify viruses of concern have now assessed the risk factors that could help forecast which pathogens are the most likely to spillover from wildlife to people.
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, pandemic, research, reverse genetics, toolkit, antibodies, RNA
Q&A: A Molecular Toolkit to Build SARS-CoV-2 Research Capacity
Asher Jones | Mar 3, 2021 | 6 min read
Sam Wilson discusses a user-friendly set of resources that he and his collaborators developed to aid labs pivoting to study COVID-19.
Yunnan province, China, bats, bat, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1, infectious disease, pandemic, coronavirus, climate change, modeling,
Are Climate-Driven Shifts in Bat Diversity to Blame for COVID-19?
Asher Jones | Feb 12, 2021 | 4 min read
A study proposes that habitat for bats—and their accompanying coronaviruses—has increased in southern Asia over the last century, but experts debate the reliability of the analysis.
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