Big data helps determine what drives disease risk

Working with nearly 3,000 observations across almost 1,500 host-parasite combinations, U.S. National Science Foundation-supported researchers at Notre Dame University have found that biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, introduced species and climate change, but not urbanization, are driving increases in infectious disease risk.

A study led by NSF-supported researchers at the University of Notre Dame analyzed nearly 3,000 observations across nearly 1,500 host-parasite combinations to understand what drives disease risk. The pairings included raccoons and the pathogens raccoon roundworm, mycoplasma, and the protozoan that causes Chagas disease. Photo: Jeremy Cohen/Yale University

As the number of emerging infectious diseases in organisms across the tree of life, including humans, rises, it is becoming increasingly important to understand what drives disease spread and whether human actions are part of the cause.

This information will aid in disease management strategies and predicting the potential for disease spread given a set of environmental or other changes.

These efforts are important not only for diseases that could infect humans but also for diseases in other animals that can lead to human disease. Diseases in plants can also have a massive impact on agriculture and food security.

Specifically, the new study points to lowering greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing ecosystem management efforts as key steps in limiting the burden of diseases in humans, other animals and plants.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Discovery in tomato could lead to natural pesticides

Researchers from Michigan State University have discovered that tomato plants have two related but separate pathways for producing acylsugars, a specific type of sugars that until now were thought to be produced exclusively in specialized hair-like structures found on tomato leaves.

Study reveals flaw in long-accepted approximation used in water simulations

Computational scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have published a study that questions a long-accepted factor in simulating the molecular dynamics of water: the 2 femtosecond (one quadrillionth of a second) time step.

Researchers Discover Enzymes Advancing Universal Blood Donor Development

Scientists from the Technical University of Denmark and Lund University have identified novel enzymes in gut bacteria, a breakthrough bringing the prospect of universal donor blood closer to reality.

Giant Fossils Suggest Ancient Warm Climates Encouraged Monster Snakes

The discovery of a massive snake fossil in India suggests that giant serpents once roamed the Earth's warmer regions alongside various other creatures, researchers say.

Artificial intelligence beats doctors in accurately assessing eye problems

A study has found that the AI model GPT-4 significantly exceeds the ability of non-specialist doctors to assess eye problems and provide advice.

Interspecies competition led to even more forms of ancient human – defying evolutionary trends in vertebrates

Competition between species played a major role in the rise and fall of hominins, and produced a “bizarre” evolutionary pattern for the Homo lineage.