Where did that Coronavirus come from, anyway?
My undergraduate major was microbiology. I moved up the phylogenetic scale somewhat after that, but I've always retained an interest in viruses. They aren't really "alive," they're more like selfish DNA. But they certainly do more than their fair share of damage.
So where did the latest Coronavirus epidemic come from? Bats, it seems. But there may have been an intermediary. Bottom line? Stay away from open air markets that sell live animals.
"The current outbreak — which has grown to infect 45,000 people and kill 1,117 — is thought to have started in a food market in Wuhan, China. But uncertainties remain: Researchers are still not sure which animal started the outbreak. DNA evidence suggests it’s likely related to bats (which also were the origin of the SARS coronavirus outbreak in 2003). But there’s also new, unconfirmed evidence, that the illegal pangolin trade may be implicated."
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/2/12/21133560/coronavirus-china-bats-pangolin-zoonotic-disease
So where did the latest Coronavirus epidemic come from? Bats, it seems. But there may have been an intermediary. Bottom line? Stay away from open air markets that sell live animals.
"The current outbreak — which has grown to infect 45,000 people and kill 1,117 — is thought to have started in a food market in Wuhan, China. But uncertainties remain: Researchers are still not sure which animal started the outbreak. DNA evidence suggests it’s likely related to bats (which also were the origin of the SARS coronavirus outbreak in 2003). But there’s also new, unconfirmed evidence, that the illegal pangolin trade may be implicated."
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/2/12/21133560/coronavirus-china-bats-pangolin-zoonotic-disease
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