Close-up of a fiber with brightly colored pathogens beside it
Microplastics in Seawater May Harbor Parasites
Laboratory experiments find that Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia can congregate on microplastic beads and fibers, suggesting they might make their way into and around the world’s oceans by hitching rides on tiny bits of trash.
Microplastics in Seawater May Harbor Parasites
Microplastics in Seawater May Harbor Parasites

Laboratory experiments find that Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia can congregate on microplastic beads and fibers, suggesting they might make their way into and around the world’s oceans by hitching rides on tiny bits of trash.

Laboratory experiments find that Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia can congregate on microplastic beads and fibers, suggesting they might make their way into and around the world’s oceans by hitching rides on tiny bits of trash.

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Wildlife disease
Two vaccine syringes on a baggy labelled with San Diego Zoo and Bonobo
The Rise of COVID-19 Vaccines for Animals
Chris Baraniuk | Dec 9, 2021
Thousands of animals have had their shot already. How many more really need it?
bats hanging upside down
Where Coronaviruses Come From
Shawna Williams | Jan 24, 2020
EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak speaks with The Scientist about how pathogens like 2019-nCoV jump species, and how to head off the next pandemic.
florida panther
Florida Wild Cats Struggle to Walk Due to Unknown Disorder
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 28, 2019
Both bobcats and the state’s namesake panther, an endangered species, have been spotted with signs of the condition.
Image of the Day: Hammerhead
The Scientist Staff | May 21, 2018
This hammer-headed fruit bat is wearing a GPS tracker deployed by researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society.
White-Nose Syndrome Fungus Infects Bats in Texas
Jef Akst | Mar 27, 2017
The pathogenic fungus that has decimated populations of bats throughout the eastern United States has surfaced in the state for the first time, although none of the bats appear diseased.
Bad Raps
Mary Beth Aberlin | Dec 1, 2014
Understanding animal diseases—for their sake and for ours
TS Live: Disease on the Wing
Bob Grant | Nov 30, 2014
Bats' special relationship with pathogens