COVID-19 – envirobites

COVID-19 has disrupted much of life as we know it – and the environment is no different. While we may not know the full impact until many years later, scientists suspect that the sudden, drastic decrease in fossil fuel use, especially air travel, will appear as some disruption to our seemingly unstoppable climb in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The primary way humans can slow global warming is to decrease our use of fossil fuels. What would such a world look like? Scientists hope to build models in order to learn and make better predictions from this unexpected experiment.

Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health

One Crisis, One Effort, One Health

May 1, 2020May 1, 2020 Riley Lovejoy 0 Comments animals, COVID-19, Medicine, One Health

Understanding COVID-19 cannot be accomplished through strictly human medicine or research. The One Health approach advocates for a cooperative effort toward improving healthcare, and is especially relevant in the context of zoonotic (animal derived) diseases, such as the current pandemic.

Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health

Bats, Immunity, and COVID-19

March 25, 2020March 25, 2020 Riley Lovejoy 0 Comments bats, COVID-19, DNA, Immunity, Infection, Model Organism, RNA, virus

Did you know that bats could help us fight human viral infections? Believe it or not, bats are incredible at staying well when infected by viruses! By studying how their immune systems respond to infection, researchers may be able to find new ways to help treat human diseases.