From enormous elephants to tiny shrews: How mammals shape and are shaped by Africa’s landscapes

Africa’s mammals are a global treasure that must be protected

Bats dying of heat stroke: Experts fear mass population collapse, zoonotic diseases

Live bats don’t cause harm as they’re immune to viruses, but their carcass coming in contact with domestic animals may increase …

COVID-19: Did SARS-CoV-2 originate in raccoon dogs from Wuhan wet market? New data gives links

Meanwhile, Israel reports new COVID-19 variant — a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants of Omicron

What is the new theory of COVID-19 originating from raccoon dogs at the wet market in Wuhan?

Analysis of genetic data from in and around Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market shows that raccoon dogs, which were being sold illegally at the market,…

Global warming: Africa, Asia most at risk of zoonotic spillovers

There can be 15,000 instances of viruses jumping from one species to another over the next 50 years

We want to know where COVID came from. But it’s too soon to expect miracles

If we keep looking, we may eventually find all the missing pieces we need to close the case on where SARS-CoV-2 came from

Zambian court stops land clearing in Kasanka National Park, where 10 million bats roost annually

Every year, African straw-coloured fruit bats migrate to the park from the Congo and act as pollinators

Where should we be looking for the next SARS-like virus? AI offers clues

Machine learning can help shortlist animal hosts that need further monitoring

Unfounded fears of contagion threaten bat population in Kerala

Destruction of bat habitats and culling is rampant in Kerala despite no evidence linking the animals with disease outbreaks in the state

Kerala never fully eradicated Nipah, but contained it: Experts

Kerala will need to increase vigilance, awareness at community level to prevent future Nipah outbreaks, say experts

COVID-19: Need to relook human relationship with wild, domestic animals, says report

But should not come at the cost of ignoring needs of local / indigenous communities, warns report 

Nipah virus antibodies found in Indian bats in Mahabaleshwar cave

Two bat species had the virus and antibodies

How virus detectives trace the origins of an outbreak - and why it’s so tricky

Tracking down the origins of a virus involves a combination of extensive fieldwork, thorough lab testing and quite a bit of luck

Winged wonders: We should not resent bats, because we need them

The pandemic has magnified fear of bats, but their conservation is crucial to prevent such events from arising again

COVID-19: Bats’ immune system, longevity offer clues for treatment, says study

Bats’ immune systems have mechanisms to control inflammation, a mainstay of disease and ageing

Global Eco Watch: Kazakhstan’s smallest saiga population records mass calving

Down To Earth brings you the top happenings in the world of global ecology

Four new fungi species discovered on bat carcasses in China

One of the fungal genus is known to contain numerous aggressive pathogens that can infect mammals, according to researchers

Could forest loss have triggered the COVID-19 pandemic?

Scientific evidence shows that the felling of tropical forests creates ideal conditions for the spread of diseases

COVID-19: Possible link between virus, intensive pig farming, says study

SARS-CoV-2 may have transmitted from infected pigs to a farm worker, from pig meat to the human food chain or from pig faeces into the environment,…

‘COVID-19 could have started 3-4 months before December in China’

Down To Earth speaks to Maureen Miller, infectious disease epidemiologist and medical anthropologist about the possible origins of the novel …

COVID-19: ‘It is easy to blame bats than to look at ourselves’

Bat expert Tigga Kingston flags societal behaviour, human prejudice amid increasing vilification of bats for novel coronavirus

Residents of this Odisha village are conserving bats despite COVID-19 stigma

They strongly believe that the winged mammals have nothing to do with the disease’s spread

Deconstructing SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused COVID-19 pandemic

Mutation increased SARS-CoV-2’s ability to target human cells, which partly explains its faster spread, according to a research

Scientists are still searching for the source of COVID-19: Why it matters

Understanding the specific circumstances, including human behaviour and activities, that led to the pandemic may provide clues about risk factors …

Why it’s important to study coronaviruses in African bats

Understanding factors that play a role in the spillover of pathogens from bats to humans in Africa is important in view of high species diversity