Bat out of hell

The deadly Ebola virus has a reservoir in fruit bats

Bushmeat contributing to Ebola epidemic, warns FAO

Ebola death toll rises to over 630

Call from cave

Bats, largely elusive till now, are slowly revealing their secrets as scientists record and analyse their calls

Recycling metals better for environment than mining or production: UNEP panel

Its two reports advocate improvements in recycling systems, adoption of product-centric approach

Scientists create map showing bat-human viral transmission

The highest risk hotspots for zoonotic bat viruses are West Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia

BATting for disease

A new study maps the transmission landscape for diseases emanating due to contact with bats

AI helps identify bat species suspected of carrying Nipah virus

Based on traits of bats to carry the virus, researchers have pointed out that more bat species in India may be reservoirs of Nipah than the only …

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

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 …

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

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

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

‘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: 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,…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nipah virus antibodies found in Indian bats in Mahabaleshwar cave

Two bat species had the virus and antibodies

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 

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

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

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