Tag: Bats

January 5, 2021

Genetic test can determine pesticide exposure in bats

A new test using just a drop of blood can tell research how much exposure bats have had to pesticides. “We know very little about the effects of pesticides, and...

August 31, 2020

Closely related COVID-19 viruses have long been in bats

Coronaviruses in the same lineage as the one responsible for the current pandemic have been circulating in bats for decades, researchers found. This provides more evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus...

June 16, 2020

White-nose fungus found in Montana

Tests have confirmed the presence of the fungus that causes the deadly white-nose syndrome in bats for the first time in Montana. The presence Pseudogymnoascus destructans, or Pd, was confirmed...

May 21, 2020

North Dakota sees first cases of white-nose syndrome

North Dakota wildlife officials say a group of bats there died of white-nose syndrome, the first known cases in the state. The little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) were found in...

May 8, 2020

How bats live with coronaviruses

Bats have evolved an intrinsic immunity to coronaviruses that stops them from getting sick, though they still carry the disease. New research shows that the coronavirus that causes Middle East...

May 4, 2020

Amid pandemic, bat biologists change course

COVID-19 has affected everyone, and wildlifers are no exception. In this series, TWS is looking at challenges facing the profession due to the pandemic. Biologists in Arizona became concerned last...

May 4, 2020

NIH cancels grant for bat research in China

The National Institutes of Health has abruptly canceled a grant supporting research in China on how coronaviruses move from bats to humans. Research scientists are criticizing the move, saying it...

April 30, 2020

Researchers discover four new bat species

Researchers have announced the discovery of at least four new species of bats. The study — in a special issue of the journal ZooKeys focused on the coronavirus pandemic —...

April 28, 2020

‘Deep evolutionary history’ binds bats and coronaviruses

Bats and coronaviruses have been evolving together for millions of years, researchers have found, resulting different strains in different groups of bats around the world. “We found that there’s a...

April 21, 2020

Close human-wildlife contact means more possible disease spread

Habitat degradation, wildlife exploitation and wildlife adaptation to anthropogenic resources all put animals in closer contact with people, which researchers say help zoonotic diseases — like the novel coronavirus —...