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#Covid_19 came from #bats
#Ebola came from #bats
#Rabies came from #bats
#Marburg came from #bats
Hendra virus came from #bats
WHY BATS?
Debora Mackenzie sets out an answer in her book on COVID-19 (read on for the answers)
#Ebola came from #bats
#Rabies came from #bats
#Marburg came from #bats
Hendra virus came from #bats
WHY BATS?
Debora Mackenzie sets out an answer in her book on COVID-19 (read on for the answers)
The summary she gives is:
(1) Bats fly
(2) In order to fly, they need to produce lots of energy (i.e. they need a high metabolic rate)
(3) This means their bodies contain lots of DNA fragments left by the metabolic processes.
(1) Bats fly
(2) In order to fly, they need to produce lots of energy (i.e. they need a high metabolic rate)
(3) This means their bodies contain lots of DNA fragments left by the metabolic processes.
(4) Bats treat DNA fragments as normal, and don't get rid of them with inflammatory processes (like humans would)
(5) The high metabolic rate means that bats have a higher temperature than us, so if humans use a fever to disturb a virus, they might actually be helping the virus
(5) The high metabolic rate means that bats have a higher temperature than us, so if humans use a fever to disturb a virus, they might actually be helping the virus
Mackenzie stresses that the response is conservation and avoiding deforestation -- trying to kill off bats would just make things worse.
I haven't carefully fact-checked her claims.
BTW I'm quite enjoying this book, and it's a bargain at 99p on kindle. https://smile.amazon.co.uk/COVID-19-Pandemic-Never-Should-Happened/dp/0349128359/ref=sr_1_1?crid=XK6V50BOLMAK&dchild=1&keywords=debora+mackenzie&qid=1597394522&s=books&sprefix=debora+mac%2Caps%2C142&sr=1-1
I haven't carefully fact-checked her claims.
BTW I'm quite enjoying this book, and it's a bargain at 99p on kindle. https://smile.amazon.co.uk/COVID-19-Pandemic-Never-Should-Happened/dp/0349128359/ref=sr_1_1?crid=XK6V50BOLMAK&dchild=1&keywords=debora+mackenzie&qid=1597394522&s=books&sprefix=debora+mac%2Caps%2C142&sr=1-1
Meant to mention @debmackenzie1 on this thread to thank her for writing this book!
