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Science In Action: Bambi got Covid

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Bambi, lobbycard, 1942

11/11/2021 GMT

Bambi got Covid

BBC World Service - Science In Action, Bambi got Covid

Why the discovery of Covid 19 in white-tail deer has implications for climate policy

Why the discovery of Covid 19 in white-tail deer has implications for future environment and climate policy

Up to 8 percent of deer sampled in studies in the US were found to be infected with the SARS-Cov-2 Virus. Suresh Kuchipudi from the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Penn State University in the US says what they are seeing is a mixture of human to deer and deer to deer transmission of the virus. There is concern that its presence in animal reservoirs could lead to a new form of the virus emerging. 

Tropical forests and spread of zoonotic diseases
And as the Cop26 meeting in Glasgow draws to a close we ask how global policy on climate will impact the spread of zoonotic disease. Spill over of possible pandemic pathogens from animals to humans occurs with the destruction of tropical forests in particular and can expose people to previously unknown zoonotic diseases such as Covid 19.

Aaron Bernstein from the Coalition to Prevent Pandemics at the Source says healthcare initiatives designed to reduce the potential spread of such diseases need to be designed to work in tandem with conservation and climate change impact reduction initiatives, essentially tackling both problems simultaneously.

LED lighting
Researchers in South Africa are looking into ways of making LED lighting both cheaper and more efficient. This should help reduce energy consumption, a prerequisite for effective policy on climate change.

In addition, as Professor Odireleng Martin Ntwaeaborwa tells us, the technology now has many applications in places where access to electricity is limited, including South Africa which currently has regular power outages. 

Personalised medicine
And personalised medicine based on our genes took a further step forward this week. Richard Scott, Chief Medical Officer for Genomics England discusses new findings which reveal the genetic basis for a range or rare diseases. 

Image: Bambi, lobbycard, 1942
Photo by LMPC via Getty Images

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Julian Siddle

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