health

Scientists focus on bats for clues to prevent next pandemic

12 Comments
By CHRISTINA LARSON, ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and MARCELO SILVA DE SOUSA

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12 Comments
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I think we might be better off leaving the bats alone instead of eating them and doing 'gain of function' research.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Batman should be able to help.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If we leave them alone then less chance of contagion.

These people should be looking at disease research labs as a vector rather than poor wild animals.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

These people should be looking at disease research labs as a vector rather than poor wild animals.

That would have no advantages, SARS came from a natural source, MERS came from a natural source, COVID-19 is hugely more likely to have come from a natural source (since the conspiracy theories of artificial origin have been debunked).

What do you think is more likely to produce a virus dangerous to humans, millions of extra inter-species interactions a day thanks to climate change and human encroachment of the bats environment; or one lab doing maybe a dozen of them a week (it is is very productive)?

There are disease labs everywhere in the world, and every virology lab is doing gain-of-function work, how come new zoonotic viruses only come from the same places where they came since prehistory? coincidence?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

There you have it (again). They import all thinkable and still not known bacteria, viruses and diseases directly out of far nature into their labs in the crowded cities with full intentions, covered as science. Somebody immediately stop all those bio-terrorists. Don’t you really still have enough with that corona pandemic?

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

I've done this, although long before bat-to-human disease transmissions became common knowledge (common knowledge to me. anyway). I wasn't wearing gloves, but luckily I wasn't bitten.

Bats are beautiful animals. Fascinating little faces, and their wings feel like velvet.

Hopefully they can help.

Ever see fruit bats? Pretty common in Asia and northern Australia. Two meter wingspans, quite impressive when they fill the windscreen of the helicopter you're flying! They hang out in the trees in the city of Cairns Australia. I discovered that one day when I happened to look up while jogging. Yikes! Not just one or two trees either. I still get the willies thinking about it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

There you have it (again). They import all thinkable and still not known bacteria, viruses and diseases directly out of far nature into their labs in the crowded cities with full intentions, covered as science. Somebody immediately stop all those bio-terrorists. Don’t you really still have enough with that corona pandemic?

Are you serious or just being sarcastic? The bats are already living in the city. They are in every city in the world.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Bats aren't bugs!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Bats as scapegoats, the new science...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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