Moths and bats have been in an evolutionary battle for millions of years – and we're still uncovering their tricks

Research has revealed how earless moths manage to avoid bat attacks - by evolving sophisticated acoustic tricks.

Thomas Neil, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Biological Sciences, University of Bristol • conversation
Feb. 21, 2022 ~6 min

Curious Kids: why do bats pass diseases to humans?

A bat’s body is really good at tolerating diseases.

Isabelle Catherine Winder, Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Bangor University • conversation
Dec. 16, 2021 ~5 min


Preventing future pandemics starts with recognizing links between human and animal health

How can nations prevent more pandemics like COVID-19? One priority is reducing the risk of diseases’ jumping from animals to humans. And that means understanding how human actions fuel that risk.

Guilherme Werneck, Professor of Epidemiology, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro • conversation
Nov. 3, 2021 ~9 min

Good Friends, Fresh Blood: The Social Life of a Vampire Bat

VOA Learning English • voa
Oct. 8, 2021 ~4 min

Artificial intelligence can help highway departments find bats roosting under bridges

Bats roost under bridges and culverts across North America, so highway departments have to check for them before repairing bridges. A new AI tool makes those inspections faster and more accurate.

Tianshu Li, Research Assistant in Systems Engineering, University of Virginia • conversation
Sept. 21, 2021 ~5 min

Moths use acoustic decoys to dodge bat attacks – new research

These nocturnal insects have amassed an impressive defensive arsenal against bats’ echolocation.

Thomas R Neil, Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol • conversation
Sept. 20, 2021 ~7 min

Bat pups babble and bat moms use baby talk, hinting at the evolution of human language

Vocal imitation is a key part of how humans learn to speak. New research shows that bats babble to learn and use baby talk to teach, just like people do.

Ahana Aurora Fernandez, Postdoctoral Researcher in Behavioral Ecology and Bioacoustics, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin • conversation
Aug. 19, 2021 ~10 min

Scent is key to how bats and peppers co-evolved to survive

New research reveals the role scent played in how bats and pepper plants in Central America co-evolved to help each other survive.

Andrea Godinez-U. Washington • futurity
Aug. 12, 2021 ~8 min


How virus detectives trace the origins of an outbreak – and why it's so tricky

Bat hosts, lab leaks – tracing SARS-CoV-2 to its origins involves more than just tracking down patient zero.

Marilyn J. Roossinck, Professor of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, Penn State • conversation
June 7, 2021 ~11 min

Bats and the Origins of Outbreaks

VOA Learning English • voa
March 7, 2021 ~5 min

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