<
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/04/how-climate-change-impacts-pandemics/629699/>
"For the world’s viruses, this is a time of unprecedented opportunity. An
estimated 40,000 viruses lurk in the bodies of mammals, of which a quarter
could conceivably infect humans. Most do not, because they have few chances to
leap into our bodies. But those chances are growing. Earth’s changing climate
is forcing animals to relocate to new habitats, in a bid to track their
preferred environmental conditions. Species that have never coexisted will
become neighbors, creating thousands of infectious meet-cutes in which viruses
can spill over into unfamiliar hosts—and, eventually, into us. Many scientists
have argued that climate change will make pandemics more likely, but a
groundbreaking new analysis shows that this worrying future is already here,
and will be difficult to address. The planetary network of viruses and wildlife
“is rewiring itself right now,” Colin Carlson, a global-change biologist at
Georgetown University, told me. And “while we thought we understood the rules
of the game, again and again, reality sat us down and taught us: That’s not how
biology works.”"
Via Cass M.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
