A researcher for Brazil's state-run Fiocruz Institute takes an oral swab sample from a bat captured in the Atlantic Forest, at Pedra Branca state park, near Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Teams of researchers around the globe are racing to study the places and species from which the next pandemic may emerge. It's no coincidence that many scientists are focusing attention on the world's only flying mammals — bats. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
APTOPIX Brazil Racing for a Remedy – Next Pandemic
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Teams of researchers around the globe are now racing to study the places and species from which the next pandemic may emerge.
Even as the world struggles with the devastation of COVID-19, scientists say this pandemic likely won’t be the last.
It’s no coincidence that many scientists are focusing attention on the world’s only flying mammals — bats. Viruses that emerge from bats are more lethal in humans than those from other species.
Scientists are probing the mysteries of bat immune systems and investigating strategies to minimize contact between humans and livestock with bats and other wild animals.
