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A brown and gray Daubenton’s bat in midair, flying in the general direction of the camera with wings outstretched and mouth open.
Duplicated Gene Helps Bats Survive “Arms Race” With Viruses
Bats are known for staying healthy even while harboring viral infections. Now, research sheds light on how their unusual immune system evolved.
Duplicated Gene Helps Bats Survive “Arms Race” With Viruses
Duplicated Gene Helps Bats Survive “Arms Race” With Viruses

Bats are known for staying healthy even while harboring viral infections. Now, research sheds light on how their unusual immune system evolved.

Bats are known for staying healthy even while harboring viral infections. Now, research sheds light on how their unusual immune system evolved.

spillover

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. 
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. 
small brown mammal with long nose
What Is This New Langya Virus? Do We Need to Be Worried?
Allen Cheng, The Conversation | Aug 11, 2022 | 3 min read
Here’s what we know so far about a new virus detected in eastern China.
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.
Photo of Colin Carlson
Colin Carlson Works to Predict and Prevent Viral Spillover
Catherine Offord | Jul 18, 2022 | 3 min read
The Georgetown University biologist studies how climate change contributes to the emergence of new zoonotic threats.
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.
Egyptian fruit bat hanging from branch
Marburg Virus Detected in Ghana for First Time
Andy Carstens | Jul 8, 2022 | 2 min read
Preliminary testing indicates that the two people died from the Ebola-like virus, the World Health Organization says.
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.
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.
part of West Africa as shown on a desk globe
Marburg Virus Disease Detected in West Africa for First Time
Shawna Williams | Aug 10, 2021 | 2 min read
The finding of the Ebola-like disease, which killed a man in Guinea, has prompted public health measures.
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.
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